Melt
by wolfsbane92
Summary: Who knew accidentally walking in on someone in the bathroom could lead to something as sweet as this. Jacob/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hey guys! This is my first Twilight related fanfic, so feel free to correct me if I make any mistakes. This story revolves around Jacob Black and his relationship with an OC, Ina (Ee-nuh). She's a feisty one, so let's see how this plays out. ;) If you feel like reviewing, please do so! If not, well enjoy anyway. :) Thanks for reading!**

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I groaned as I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It took all my energy to disconnect my butt from the couch and place my laptop aside in order to get ready for work.

Ah, Willy Nilly's. Good food, good people (most of the time), and a good amount of back ache. "Honey aren't you going to get ready for work? It's 4:45!" my mother yelled from the kitchen. "Yes Mom," I replied, "It takes five minutes to get dressed and five minutes to get there, it's not like I'm going to be late."

"You always procrastinate until the last minute!"

"Guess it runs in the family," I said, smiling because of her numerous failed attempts at being early, just like me. I heard her snort as I walked to my bedroom to get dressed.

The drive there was pleasant enough, with the windows down and music blaring as I drove through the small town. La Push really is a good place to live. It's safe, it's comfortable, and it has a lot of history behind it. The only problem is, like all small towns, it also happens to be incredibly boring at times. And everyone knows everybody, so there's no such thing as privacy. And sometimes sanity, I thought as I pulled into an empty parking spot at the diner. I thumped my head against the steering wheel in disbelief at how much fun tonight's shift was going to be, considering the cars of La Push's very own "gang" we parked haphazardly about the lot. I used to be best friends with the "gang" until they got all weird and…teenage boy-ish. I took a deep breath before yanking my hair in front of my eyes in an attempt to go incognito and opened the door.

"Hey there beautiful, or should I say booty-full?"

Incognito failed. The lads laughed heartily at their leader's joke while I glared at them.

"Would you like your usual, Paul, or extra saliva with that burger?" I snapped. He held up his hands in defense and grinned. I rolled my eyes and walked by, yipping loudly when he smacked me on the behind, which most definitely earned him a black eye. His cronies laughed even harder at this, but they should have been used to it by now. Paul's wandering hands had made my hands also wander and 'accidentally' break his nose once before. You would think he would have learned by now.

"Relax, girl!" my coworker Natalie giggled. She flitted over to Paul's lap, placing a cold rag on his bruised eye. He soon forgot about me, thankfully, while Natalie attended to his group of tards. I tied on my frilly pink apron and rolled my sleeves up, waving at Jim, the older cook, before slapping a few massive burgers on the grill.

"You need me to take care of them?" he grunted, nodding in the guys' direction and peering at me out of his good eye. I laughed and shook my head and he frowned. "Them boys don't know nothing about how to treat a lady," he growled. "Where I come from—"

"We know you're a gentleman, Jim," I said, patting him on the shoulder. He grunted and eyed the boys for a bit longer before returning to work. I barely held in my snort when one of the guys looked over and Jim held up his cleaver threateningly. Rumor has it he used to be in prison, but no one knows for sure. All we know is that he is one hardcore (but sweet) old dude.

Work was actually quiet for the most part. Natalie and Nilly, the diner's owner (yes that is actually her name) attended to customers while I just threw things on the grill for them. Just another day in La Push, it seemed. When it was finally time to close I wiped my sweaty forehead and shut off the grill, leaving it for Jim to clean up so I could help Natalie do the lobby area. Unfortunately Paul and the rest of his friends were still being wastes of space, so that meant I basically had to do everything myself since Natalie did more flirting than cleaning. I grabbed some gloves and the bucket of cleaning supplies and headed to the bathrooms, since Nat was too much of a priss to do much of anything remotely "dirty." I didn't particularly enjoy cleaning urine off of toilets, but someone had to do it. Paul's group whistled and howled as I walked by in my fluorescent yellow gloves, and I had to restrain myself from squirting bleach into their eyes. I smiled, fantasizing about the screams they would emit if that happened. No, I'm not really a violent person.

I chuckled to myself and kicked the bathroom door open, pausing when I noticed a tinkling sound and a pair of black jeans at the urinal.

"Oh," I whispered, eyes widened, face burning. A pair of surprised brown eyes met mine and suddenly I felt dizzy. Everything slowed down around me for a few milliseconds, and I could hear nothing but the rapid beating of my heart. The guy stared at me, shock and some other indecipherable cloud of emotion present on his tanned face. The sound of a zipper brought me out of my daze and I stumbled into an apology. "Uh, um excuse me I didn't mean to—" BAM! Whoops, didn't notice that hunk of wood coming to kick me back in the face in my shocked stupor. I cursed as blood starting pouring out of my nose and onto the floor. I dropped the cleaning supplies and tried to unroll some of the paper towels to help block it, but a large hand suddenly wrapped itself around my face, cushioned by toilet paper. I gasped and backed against the wall, trying to avoid suffocating completely but the hand persisted. I looked up and realized it was the guy that had a few seconds ago been peeing.

"Get your penis hands off of my face!" I screamed, smacking his hand away. I ended up just making his hand bump against my nose and I shouted in pain. "I-I'm sorry!" he said, still trying to stuff toilet paper up my nose. I pushed him away, which was kind of hard to do in the tiny hallway that led to the bathrooms, and took a few hurried steps forward before falling flat on my face. The world went dark for a few moments and when I woke up several worried faces surrounded my head. A hand was gently pinching my nose and Nilly was pressing a cold rag up against my cheek. "You doing okay honey? Should we take you to the hospital?" she asked, the worry lines wrinkling her forehead. I tried to shake my head but it was held firm between something fleshy. It took a moment for me to realize that I was leaned up against a hard chest, my forehead resting on what I supposed to be a neck. I jumped and tried to squirm away but a stabbing pain in my head and an arm wrapped around my waist prevented me from getting far.

"Don't move sweetie," a low voice whispered in my ear. I squinted against the light, dark hair tickling my face. Whoever it was felt extremely warm, and kinda made me feel sleepy. I closed my eyes for a brief moment when I was suddenly jolted awake by a smack to my arm. "Paul!" a few voices hissed and he chuckled. "She shouldn't go to sleep right? Isn't it bad for someone who got knocked out to go to sleep again or something like that?" he reasoned, a sick, twisted smile cracking across his stupid face. "You're stupid." I glared at him and he took out his phone.

"What are y—" _click._

"Just in case you try to hit me again," he laughed, showing me the picture. I looked horrible, my hair a mess and my skin oily from sweat and grease, not to mention I had bloody toilet paper stuffed up my bruised nose like some kind of nose-pon. I looked up at him. "Go ahead," I snarled, "see what happens." He merely grinned that stupid annoying grin he has and flipped his phone shut, sticking it back in his pocket and patting the lump. A growl erupted from behind me and my pillow's leg kicked Paul in the shin.

"Yeah, what he said," I grumbled.

"What the hell Jake?" Paul growled. His voice shook with anger, but even with that added effect his voice didn't reach the timbre of the growl behind me. Jake, I suppose his name was, wrapped his arm tighter around my waist and I coughed weakly. "Can I just go home now?" I asked.

"Sure honey, let me just call your mom so she can pick you up," Nilly said, getting up to get the telephone.

"I'm fine I can drive!" I argued. The guys laughed.

"You crazy girl you just cracked your skull open on the cement, you can't drive!" Jared laughed, punching Paul playfully. Ah Jared, always the jokester. "You know I still haven't forgotten about that time you stuck gum in my hair in fifth grade," I growled, giving him a deadly glare. He gulped and backed behind Paul a little bit. I smirked.

"He's right dear, you may have a concussion. Are you sure you don't want us to call an ambulance?" Nilly asked, biting her lip. "I can take her home," the voice, er, Jake said. The other guys ooo-ed and made kissy noises.

"I'm fine," I grumbled. I somehow managed to unwrap the iron arm from around my waist and stood up, swaying a bit as the blood pounded against my head. Paul held on to my arm to keep me steady, and I was surprised to see he actually looked worried. "Let Jake take you home and we'll follow, kay?" he said. I shook my head and instantly regretted it.

"Why are you so stubborn, Ina?" Natalie pouted, "You'll have a car full of hot guys waiting on you!"

"Right!" Jared agreed. Jake growled again. I looked behind me and realized that he was the one I had walked in on in the bathroom. I groaned and put my head on Paul's shoulder. "Whoa, uh, you okay babe? I mean, not that I don't like you laying on me, hey you could do it anytime you wanted—"

"Paul shut up. Just take me home. My head hurts. And you're making it worse."

He chuckled and patted my back. "Here let me," Jake interjected, pulling on my arm in an attempt to make me lean on him. I gripped tighter onto Paul's shirt and glared at him.

"You know, I don't remember hearing the sink running before you gallantly tried to suffocate me with toilet paper," I grumbled. He rolled his eyes and walked into the bathroom, and I heard the sink running. He held the door open with his foot and showed me his wet, soapy hands, then rinsed and dried them.

"There, now will you go with me?" he pleaded. I cocked an eyebrow at him and thought for a moment. To go with Paul, who might just rape me, or this Jake guy I know only because I walked in on him peeing, but seems nice enough…Paul chose that moment to run his creepy hand down my arm and I flinched. "Sure…why not," I mumbled. He wrapped his arm around my waist again and told me he wouldn't let me fall, to which I rolled my eyes. Soon Nilly was hustling us out of the diner and telling me not to worry about the rest, that she would clean it and that I have the next few days off. I groaned but she heard none of it.

Rain splattered against the asphalt, causing a slight fog around the diner and on the road. Jake threw his jacket over our heads and Paul led us to my car, which happened to be parked as far as possible from their vehicles. Kudos to me for making them get soaked! "Keys?" Jake asked. I fished them out of my pocket with some difficulty and handed them to him. He opened my door first and eased me inside, wrapping his jacket around me.

"Start it and turn the heat on," he ordered, noticing my shivering. I nodded and did as I was told. What? I was cold and you can't refuse a sexy wet guy. Wait, when did he become sexy? I argued with myself. I looked outside my window to see him talking to Paul, getting directions to my house I presumed. His shirt was soaked and sticking to his skin, which seemed to emit its own fog from his heat. Paul said something and Jake punched him in the arm, making Paul laugh hysterically. I rolled my eyes and continued to watch Jake for a bit longer. It was weird. Other than being grossed out by his non-handwashing and then touching my face, I didn't feel any anger towards him even though he was friends with Paul. In fact, I felt sort of drawn toward him. He seemed to notice me staring at him and looked at me, smiling gently. Unfortunately Paul noticed and started making out with the window. I blushed and rolled my eyes, wrapping Jake's jacket tighter around myself. It smelled…good. Like a mixture between gasoline and forest and outdoors. I sighed and closed my eyes, inhaling deeply and feeling instantly comforted. I realized what I was doing and mentally smacked myself for falling for one of Paul's buddies and snorted in disgust, throwing Jake's jacket into his seat. I'm lonely but not that lonely, I thought. After a few minutes Jake finally opened the door and got in the driver's seat. He didn't seem bothered at all by the fact that he was soaking wet and it was like negative 6 degrees outside. He pulled his face into a cute little half smile and buckled up for safety. I just glared at him and scooted farther away, shivering miserably.

"Your car's heat sucks," he frowned. "If you get close to me you'll probably warm up a little bit." His face seemed hopeful, but I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Considering his size compared to mine, it would not be far at all. "I'm f-fine," I chattered. He frowned again, and for some reason it bothered me. I mentally smacked myself again.

"You sure?"

I searched for a plausible argument. "You're soaked. That would make me even more cold," I grumbled in what I hoped was a hateful voice. Not a 'yes please make me sit next to you' voice. He sighed and put the car in gear before backing out of the parking spot. This might not be so bad, I thought.

How wrong I was. I have never been in a more awkward five minutes in my entire life.

"So…" he said, scratching his head. His hair was all spiky from running his hands through it so much, glistening slightly from the lights of Paul's car behind us. "I'm really sorry you saw—"

"Don't talk about it," I interrupted, my face immediately turning into what I knew was a violent shade of pink.

"But—"

"No."

"I just—"

"Shut. It."

And finally there was silence.

Kids this is what happens when you don't knock on the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey again! Look two chapters in a day! :D I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but for the sake of the love between Jacob and Ina, his imprinting on Renesmee will never happen in this story. Personally, I hated that SM did that to him and I think he deserves much better than some half human half vampire mutant baby thing. Just saying. Also, please excuse any spelling mistakes (I got paranoid because I think I spelled the mutant baby's name wrong), as I suck at spelling half the time, and the other half I just fail at typing. :( Feel free to review or rate or whatever else you can do to give your input because I'd love to hear from you! Thanks again and I hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2**

I woke up the next morning feeling groggy and aching all over. Sunlight filtered in through my blinds, bathing everything in an incandescent glow. I sat up and looked around my room, scratching my head and mumbling incoherently. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, hearing a soft swish as something fell to the floor. I looked down, noticing a large brown jacket and groaned, the memories of last night resurfacing.

*_**Flashback***_

"No! I won't let you!"

"If you don't let me I'll do it anyway. I would just like to have your permission first."

"I said no!"

Jake sighed. "Sorry Ina," he said, bending down. Next thing I knew I was being held in his arms bridal style and we were walking up to my front door. I weakly punched his chest and grumbled at him. Rain dripped off of his face and onto my head. I glared up at him and he looked back at me. I inhaled sharply, the beauty of him overwhelming me suddenly. He stared back, ignoring the rain and the wind and the cold just to look at me with an unreadable expression in his dark brown eyes. "Ina," he whispered, drawing me closer to him. The front door suddenly opened and I heard my mom gasp. My head snapped in her direction, breaking eye contact with Jake and struggling to get out of his arms. Of course there was no way that was going to happen. His biceps were the size of my head.

"What happened? Are you okay?" she asked while wiping my soggy hair out of my face. "She, um, fell and hurt herself. I think she may have fractured her nose," Jake replied, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Honey you have to be more careful! She's been like that since she was little, always bumping into things and tripping over air," my mom smiled. She shook her head and glanced up at Jake through her lashes. "I'm Katherine Call, Ina's mother. You may know my nephew, Embry?" she asked. I rolled my eyes. Mom was being suggestive with her eyebrows.

Realization dawned on Jake's face and he nodded. "Yeah he's my best friend. I wonder why we've never met before," he said, looking down at me. I shrugged. "Well anyway, I'm Jacob Black," he finally answered.

"Ah, Billy's son?"

"Yep."

"I haven't seen Billy in ages. We used to go to school together."

"Not to interrupt or anything, but it IS raining," I cut in. "Oh, right," Mom said sheepishly, stepping aside to let Jake and I inside. Against my protests, Mom pointed him to my bedroom and he walked me back to it while she made some hot tea. "Where do you want me to put you?" he asked, looking around. "Just on my feet would be nice," I grumbled. He grudgingly sat me down and I tried not to wobble. "See? I'm fine. Now leave," I growled. He looked sad, like some kind of puppy. I felt a little bad for being mean when he was so nice to me, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. I gathered some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower. The water burned my frozen toes but felt good at the same time, and soon I warmed up enough to move efficiently. I gently scrubbed the blood from my face and neck while the conditioner soaked into my hair, then rinsed and got out to dry off. Unfortunately I didn't think there was any hope for my blood stained clothes, but I stuck them in the hamper anyway. When I opened the door my ears were assaulted by my mom's loud, cackling laughter. I walked into the living room to see Jake sitting on the couch with a towel around his neck, smiling nervously. I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"Why are you still here?" I asked. He grinned widely and my heart skipped a beat. "Your mom said I should wait for you to get out of the shower so you could thank me properly."

"Mother!" I cried, throwing my arms down at my side and balling my hands into fists. "Oh don't be cross with me," she said, wagging a finger at me, "you really should thank him for taking care of you. He is a very nice young man." She smiled at Jake and he raised his eyebrows at me. The tea pot whistled and mom poured us each a steaming cup, motioning for me to sit on the couch beside the giant boy. I grimly obeyed, sipping my tea and hissing when it burned my lip. My cup was quickly whisked away and a warm hand grabbed my face. I turned red as a pepper as Jake's finger trailed over my top lip, my heart kicking up a notch at his close proximity. I stared wide eyed as he leaned toward me, nipping my top lip in between his lips and running his tongue over it. His chocolate eyes caught mine, seemingly gazing into my very soul before he finally released my lip and whispered, "Better?" I nodded before I could stop myself and just kept staring at him, mouth agape. "Oh my," my mom chuckled. We both jumped, forgetting that she was there and he quickly stood and handed the towel to me. "Um, I'll just be going now," he mumbled, walking briskly into the pouring rain.

My mom winked at me and elbowed me in the side. "Eh? Eh? You like him don't you?" she nudged. I rolled my eyes and quickly stomped to my room, shutting the door before burrowing under my blankets. What had just happened? My lip still tingled from both the burn and the kiss. I touched my fingers to it, letting the warmth spread into my chilly skin. Jacob Black, friend of the evil Paul Meraz, had just kissed me, that was what happened. The more I thought about it the angrier I got. Who was he to just grab my head and kiss me like that? And in front of my mother no less! I thought up more than a few ways to get my revenge before finally deciding that it would be better to just not talk to him ever again. My heart twinged at bit at this, but I ignored it and fell into a restless slumber.

_***End Flashback***_

"Mom what is this?" I asked angrily, shoving the jacket in her face. She smiled and pushed it back at me. "It's Jacob's jacket. He left it on the chair last night and just ran off and left it, so I washed it and put it on your bed. Fortunately he left his number," she waved a piece of paper under my nose, "just in case you needed some more help. I also gave him your number." I jabbed a finger at her.

"You! You evil! You planned this!" I hissed. If this were an anime snakes would be coming out of my head right about now. She smiled innocently and went behind the counter for safety as I raged on, gesturing wildly about the dangers of handing out phone numbers to random creepy guys and what bad things could happen. It's like I'm the mom and she's the seventeen year old daughter in some kind of messed up Freaky Friday story, only, well, I'm still in my body and she's still in hers. It would be weird to be in her body, just saying. But I digress.

"Mom you CANNOT just hand my phone number out to any guy you think is cute!" I yelled angrily. She seemed impervious to my attacks, only the deepened corners of her mouth showing that she was even listening. "Mom! I still can't BELIEVE that you would do something like that! He's Paul Meraz's friend FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

"Paul is a nice boy. You two used to be best friends, what happened?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Adolescence happened. Stop trying to change the subject," I seethed. She rolled her eyes and I went on ranting. After about ten minutes I finally ran out of breath and went to my bedroom to get dressed, trying to find the ugliest thing I could ever wear while still looking somewhat decent. I decided on the ancient t-shirt I had won at summer camp when I was twelve and black sweat pants. I yanked on my rain boots and puffy jacket and headed out the door, Jake's jacket in tow. Halfway down the street I turned and walked up to a red brick house, knocking loudly. My breath came out in frosty puffs as I waited. The door was opened by an older lady with streaks of gray in her inky black hair, and I put on my most charming smile.

"Hello Mrs. Meraz, I was wondering if you could give this to Paul? It belongs to a friend of his that I don't really know."

She looked surprised for a moment before her face cracked into a smile and she waved at me to come in. "Ina I haven't seen you since you were this—" she held her hand out to my shoulder, "—big! Why don't you come in and give it to Paul yourself, I'm sure he would be more than happy to see you," she said with a twinkle in her eye. I see she still hasn't given up on the trying to make me and Paul get married thing. "You'd have beautiful babies!" she used to tell me. Granted, Paul was extremely handsome. Tall, muscular, and dark eyes that could stop a woman in her tracks, not to mention his killer smile and seemingly endless skills in fixing things. I used to think that maybe we could be together, but all that stopped when we turned fourteen and he started calling me names like "baby" and embarrassing me in front of his friends. I tried not to gag and smiled at Mrs. Meraz, waiting until I turned around to roll my eyes. She was a sweet lady, but very persistent. I knew my way around the house like the back of my hand, even though I hadn't stepped foot inside for three years. I made my way to Paul's room and knocked before I opened the door a little, peeping inside. Paul was sprawled out across his bed, shirtless and still asleep. My face flushed when I realized how much he had, ahem, developed since I had been friends with him. Weird. Paul is not hot, I told myself over and over. I couldn't decide if I wanted to just leave the jacket or rudely throw it in his face, possibly suffocating him with it—

"Hey sugar, finally come to your senses about me?" Paul's husky voice mumbled. I blushed, chucked the jacket at him and turned to leave, but he was out of his bed and wrapped around me in a flash. "What, leaving so soon? But you just got here," he moaned in my ear. I blanched.

"Paul, please remove yourself from my person or face the pain of castration," I said in a monotone voice.

"Make me," he whispered. So I did. Soon he was writhing on the ground in pain while I dusted my hands off and walked out, saying a quick goodbye to his mother before running out the door. I knew that I had hurt him, but how badly and how long he would stay down I didn't know. I had almost made it to my house when I heard feet pounding up the pavement behind me. I turned around to see Paul barreling up the sidewalk, still shirtless and without shoes. I braced myself for impact but he put on the breaks and stood in front of me. "You slut! I can't believe you punched me in the nads!" he panted.

"Oh really," I raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm the slut? What about you Mr.I've-had-sex-with-every-woman-in-La Push?"

He drew himself up to his full height in an attempt to intimidate me, but it didn't work. I just laughed at him and socked him in the jaw before running into my house and slamming the door in his face. "INA ALEXA CALL IF YOU HIT ME ONE MORE TIME!" I heard him scream. I chuckled and locked the door. Mom eyed me warily from the kitchen, but I just smiled and skipped to my room to embrace my waiting laptop. After a few minutes my phone beeped at me, signaling that I had a text message. I nearly fell off the bed laughing when I saw what it said.

"_From: Paul Meraz_

_Ina you know you want me so stop trying to fight it."_

"_**In your dreams, Mr. Meraz**__,"_ I typed back. He replied immediately.

"_Oh yeah, well I'll tell Jake that you tried to rape me in my sleep."_

I snorted.

"_**Right, like he'll believe that. That's his jacket by the way, kindly return it to him."**_

It took him a few moments to reply to that one, so I spent the next few minutes watching a video on YouTube. I waited until it was over to check my phone again.

"_You know…he really really likes you. You two should date! :D"_

That was a bit confusing considering he had been trying to get me to date _him _a few moments ago.

"_**I think I'll pass," **_I replied, frowning.

"_Why? He's a good guy…"_

I thought about it for a moment. I didn't really know why I wouldn't date Jake other than the fact that he was close friends with Paul. A vision flashed before my eyes, heated lips embracing my already burnt lip. I blushed.

"_**Um, well, long story."**_

"_You can tell me. Come on, we used to be friends. :(" _

Why was Paul trying to be nice? The little, well, big brat had done nothing but torture me for the past three years and suddenly he wants to have a heart to heart? No way dude.

"_**Sorry, I don't really feel like it at the moment. My period is really bad, I need a hug. :("**_

After that he never texted back. I let out an evil laugh and returned to my precious YouTube. A little while later I heard the doorbell ring, but let my mom open it. If it was someone for me, which it never was, she'd send them back to my room. Suddenly my door burst open, nearly being ripped off its hinges as Jake came flying through the air and landed beside me, taking my hand in his.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything? Should I go to the store and get you some—" he wiggled his eyebrows, "_things._"

I yanked my hand away and stared at him like he was crazy. Which I think he is.

"What on earth are you talking about?" I inquired.

And without missing a beat he replied in a single breath, "Paul said you were on your period and that you had said you needed a hug and so I kinda got worried about you and ran right over to see if you needed anything or maybe wanted me to go get something for you just in case, you know, maybe you ran out or something but mostly I was just really worried because I don't want you to be in pain and alone."

…Paul Meraz, you are soooo dead.

My phone chose that moment to beep and I angrily flipped it open. Of course.

_"From: Paul Meraz_

_You're welcome, baby. ;) "  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for the encouraging reviews! They make me smile so much it hurts (seriously. but I do love them!). :3 Sorry this chapter is kinda short, I'm about to leave to go see a friend in the hospital. :( She's okay, so don't worry too much! I'll try to have another chapter out by tonight. I really have nothing else to do,lol. I'm not sure if I can get another one out tomorrow because I have to go to work but I'll do my best! Thank you again, I'm truly grateful!** 3

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**Chapter 3**

"Why do you look so angry?" Jake asked. Was that a small bit of fear in his eyes? The big bad Jake was scared of little ol' me? Then again I am pretty scary when I'm angry. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and tried not to look at him like he was stupid. It wasn't his fault he fell for Paul's idiocy.

"Jake, I'm not on my period. Paul just said that because he was mad at me," I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"Oh."

A slight blush crept across his face and he smiled nervously. Once I had calmed down enough to see straight I noticed he was wearing only a pair of cut off jeans and tennis shoes. "Dude why are you naked?" I asked, twitching a little. Oh my mother. Letting some half naked guy into my room. With me. Alone.

Jake looked down at himself and grinned. "Like what you see?" I rolled my eyes. He has been hanging around Paul way too much. He seemed to have read my mind and chuckled, patting me on the head. "I was out running," he finally answered. I cocked an eyebrow at him and purposefully looked him up and down.

"What? Gotta keep up the physique," he said while flexing his arms. Holy cheese those things were huge. Not quite as big and creepy as those body builder guys but pretty dang ripped all the same. Paul's gang must secretly be a Steroids Anonymous group. They were all huge and ripped and incredibly strong. As I was driving down the highway to Port Angeles one day, I had seen them all emerge from the forest, panting and sweaty and clapping each other on the back with huge smiles on their faces. Maybe they actually participated in some kind of homoerotic workout session deep in the woods where they wouldn't be seen. An image of Paul and Jake flashed through my head and I shook it hard, trying to get rid of it. Blasphemy!

"What are you thinking about?" Jake asked. His expression was a mix of concern and is-this-woman-crazy-or-what.

"Um, nothing at all," I smiled and changed the subject. "Maybe you should lay off the juice a little, eh? You know there was a guy I saw on TV whose arms exploded because they got so big," I joked, poking him in his beefy chest. He laughed and grabbed my hand, stopping suddenly and staring at it. He ran a rough finger over my knuckles and sighed.

"What?" I said, snatching my hand away. His face looked gentle and he said, "Your skin is really soft."

I blushed. "Um…thanks? I guess…"

He suddenly got an evil grin on his face. I was a little worried but not too much, considering my mom was in the house still and would (hopefully) save me if he tried anything. He held out his arms and the smile got even bigger. "You know," he said, his voice getting slightly deeper, "you look like you still need a hug." I shook my head and ignored the impulse to fling myself into his waiting arms. _No, Ina, _I told myself, _no he is not buff, no he is not the least bit cute, and no his voice is not deep and sexy! _

"Are you sure? You look a little conflicted there," he smiled, holding his arms out to me. I glared at him but stopped, confused. However arrogant his smile was, his eyes were seemingly bursting with hope. It was like if I hugged him and then he died he would not mind a bit. I felt my body shaking a little, like it wanted to go to him. I gulped and shook my head again, trying (and probably failing) to look nonchalant as I looked anywhere but at him. My body seemed to have a mind of its own as I leaned toward him slightly, but I grunted and tried to pull back against whatever force it was pushing me to him. What the crap? I had just met this guy the night before and wanted nothing to do with him. So why was my body acting this way? I cleared my throat and looked at the shaggy blue carpet.

"And you, sir, look like you need to get out of my room," I struggled to say with some difficulty. I saw him shake his head in my peripheral vision. I felt warm hands on my shoulders and I wanted to both smack them away and get closer to him at the same time. Curse whatever it was that made me want him!

"Come on," he said, pulling gently. "After what happened last night a hug shouldn't be a big deal right? Please?" His voice got even deeper and huskier. What happened last night? I couldn't remember. My brain was in a fog and I couldn't really think straight. I weakly attempted to pull away from him but my body was having none of it, and suddenly I was crushed against his chest, warm arms circling around my shoulders. He sighed and buried his face in my hair. I felt comforted, at peace with the world as I breathed in his woodsy scent and snuggled my face into his shoulder. His skin was burning but I didn't have enough sense in me to ask if he was sick. Oh well, it didn't really matter if he was sick, just like it didn't matter that he had kissed me last night.

Wait.

I remembered. He had kissed me. With his tongue.

I struggled to get out of his arms but he was holding me tightly, too tight for me to move my arms enough to beat him down. "Jacob, get off!" I grunted.

"Why?" he groaned.

"Do I have to have a reason?" I asked, fear quickly rising inside of me. I struggled some more and felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I had to do something, and quick. I was not about to cry in front of this douche bag. I thought about yelling for my mother but she would probably just smile and lock the door to give us "privacy." There goes that idea. So I just did what any girl would in that situation and bit down on his shoulder, hard. He jumped a little in surprise and yanked me away, even though my teeth were still embedded in his skin, which caused him to bleed just a little. He stared at me in wonder, and it was not fear I saw in his eyes but something entirely different.

For the second time that day my door burst open, and this time it actually did come off its hinges.

"Jathan!" I screamed, leaping off the bed and running to him, the blasted tears finally escaping. He moved me behind him and glared at Jacob, who was looking between me and Jathan in confusion. Jathan was shaking in anger and he pointed an angry finger in Jacob's direction (a family trait, I might add).

"What were you doing to my baby sister?" he yelled. Jacob's mouth opened in disbelief and he immediately leaped off the bed. He had a good 5 inches or so on my brother, but my brother had aura of an angry grizzly bear, and the angry face to match it. I silently cheered him on.

"I repeat, what. Were. You. Doing," Jathan fumed.

"I was just trying to cheer her up!" Jacob stammered, holding his hands up in defense in front of him. Jathan glared and crossed his arms. "I don't believe my sister has low enough morals to hire a Chip 'n Dale's dancer to cheer herself up. My mother, maybe, but definitely not Ina."

"But I'm not!" Jacob protested.

"I don't care I want you out of my house, and don't ever come back."

"But she's my imp—"

"OUT!" Jathan roared, pointing to the door. Jacob's shoulders slumped in defeat, and he finally left. My mom looked down the hallway at us and back at the slamming door, question on her face. Jathan glared at the door for a few moments longer before turning to me to wipe the tears off of my face. I sniffled and looked down, embarrassed.

"Hey there, sis, it's okay. I'm here," he soothed, pulling me into a hug. I loved my big brother to no end at that moment. My mom chose to finally come check on me and ask what happened. I swear I could feel the anger radiating off of him, and saw my mom frown and walk out of the room. He led me over to my bed to sit down and I used my blanket to wipe my nose.

"Thanks Jaynini," I sniffled, using my childhood nickname for him.

He smiled at patted my back. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

I told him about work and Paul being annoying, what happened in the bathroom, the car ride home, Mom being weird, and then Paul's big evil plan. I didn't tell him about the kiss or the weird feelings I had when Jacob wanted to hug me, I think he was already angry enough. He frowned when I finished and looked thoughtful.

"You said his name was Jacob Black?"

I nodded.

"I think he works for Sam Uley. I could go talk to Sam if you want, let him know what's been going on. Paul works for him too, and they're pretty tight so I'm sure he could make them leave you alone."

I shook my head in disagreement. "No it's fine. I'll deal with it myself if they try anything again."

He frowned again but nodded. "Okay I'll leave it up to you then. You're smart, I trust you." He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair, and I noticed dark circles hanging under his eyes. "Have you been doing okay, Jay? You look like death."

"Um, thanks?" he laughed. "Yeah I'm okay. I got another job, so I haven't been getting that much sleep."

"Jay!" I chided, gently smacking his arm. He smiled, knowing I couldn't hurt him if I tried. Jathan was twenty one years old, and had moved out just last year to rent an apartment with his best friend. He got tired of Mom asking him when he was going to get married and settle down, he knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. He worked hard to pay off his college debts so that he could reach his dream of becoming a veterinarian, and I was proud of all that he had accomplished. Super smart with unbreakable will power and a heart of gold, I guess you could say that he was my role model. I definitely didn't want to be 40 and working at the local supermarket like Mom. I loved my Mom, but Jathan and I had always been extremely close. Some (meaning Paul) would say that I had a brother complex, but I didn't think I was that weird.

"I've missed you, Jaynini," I said finally, breaking the silence. His tired face cracked into a grin and he pulled me into a headlock, messing up my hair with his knuckles. We both jumped as a tortured howl rang through the air from somewhere behind our house. "Wolves?" Jay questioned, getting up to peek out of the blinds hanging on the window. I shrugged. "I hear them from time to time but never that close." His brow furrowed and I could imagine the gears turning in that giant noggin of his.

"Not that I'm not happy their numbers are on the rise again," he said, standing up, "but it's not good that they're living so close to the human population." I shrugged again. As long as they didn't hurt anyone they didn't bother me. Jay and I listened quietly as more howls broke through the trees.

That night as I was getting ready for bed a giant shadow flashed across my window. I quickly peeked outside but nothing except dirt and grass was out there. I turned off the light and climbed into bed, snuggling down under the covers. I looked up and the shadow was there again. My eyes widened at the shape of a giant, canine-like head sniffing the air at my window, and I shook my head to clear the image from my eyes but it was still there. It finally went away around two in the morning, the shape of a long body and a swaying tail moving past before it disappeared completely. I lay awake in bed for the rest of the night, staring at my window.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hey again guys! Dude it's like 2:42 AM and I am dead tired. I tried to make this one a little longer than usual to (hopefully) tide you over until Saturday or whenever my next update will be. Work sucks. DX Anyway, enough of my complaining. Thanks for the reviews guys! Am I moving things between Ina and Jake too slow or is it okay? Not boring anyone am I? I sure hope not. -gulp- let me know if I am though! Goodnight!...or should I say good morning? Anyway. Please enjoy, review, rant, whatever you feel like doing! Thanks so much!**

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**Chapter 4**

The rest of the week seemed to drag by at an impossibly slow rate. Not only was I stuck at home because Nilly wouldn't let me go to work, but I was afraid to leave the house. Ever since the day Jake left, the giant dog shadow had sat outside my window between the hours of whenever my light went off until at least two am. Once it settled down it rarely moved, except when I made a noise or got out of bed, then it tried to hide until it thought I was asleep again I supposed. I sat watching it, wide eyed with fear and wonder until it finally went away, but even then it was hard to sleep. I was afraid to talk to Mom or Jathan about it because they would probably think I was crazy. So I decided to call someone who already thought I was crazy Thursday night as the shadow sat itself in its usual spot. I pulled my phone off of the nightstand and slid it open as quiet as possible and dialed Paul's number, keeping my eyes on the shadow. Its ear twitched slightly as Paul's phone rang, but it didn't move. It took a while for Paul to finally answer, and he sounded a little breathless.

"Ina? What are doing calling this late? You okay baby?" he asked hurriedly.

"Yeah Paul I'm okay but I need you to come check my house. I promise I'm not crazy, but for the past few nights there's been a shadow cast on my window of a huge dog or wolf maybe, I'm not sure. But it really scares me."

He was silent for a few moments, and I whispered his name a few times before he answered.

"Well, there have been rumors of wolves around the area lately. How big is it?"

I quickly gaged the size of the creature's head.

"Huge. I can only see its head right now but it's at least as big as a horse."

"Mhmm. Right."

"Paul, I'm not crazy!" I whisper shouted. The creature's head swiveled to the side and I 'eep!'-ed.

"Well, let me, uh, get my gun and I'll come check okay?" he said. I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Wait you have a gun?"

"In my pants, and it's always loaded."

"Paul you pervert! I don't know why I even called you, you're the stupidest, most perverted, idiotic—" _click. _I stared at my phone for a few moments before rolling my eyes and went back to watching the dog…thing…

After a few minutes its head swivelled to the other side and its ears perked up. It stood up suddenly and I heard its paws thumping against the ground as it ran away. Holy crap, it was real after all, unless my ears were deceived too. I jumped as another, more human shadow appeared at my window and I heard I knock. I got up and peeked through the blinds before throwing my window open.

"Wow you really came," I gasped in disbelief. There stood Paul with a shotgun in his left hand in all his shirtless glory. He scowled in the direction the wolf had run off to, then remembered I was there and smiled. "I didn't see anything," he smirked.

"Because it ran away! Look I bet there's paw…prints…" I looked down and saw the ground as smooth as ever, no trace of hair or paw prints or anything. "It was here I swear!" He rolled his eyes and threw the shotgun at me (isn't that a little dangerous? Thanks Paul) and climbed in my window. He took the gun from me and sat down at the end of my bed, gun across his lap, and looked up at me expectantly.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He grinned.

"Why protecting my fair lady of course, what else? Just get in bed, I promise I won't try anything. I'll stay here until dawn, okay?"

Wait, what, Paul Meraz was offering protection from big, possibly imaginary wolf things to me, his worst enemy? Hell must be frozen over.

"You don't have to do that I'm a big girl," I replied, crossing my arms and standing straight. He snorted.

"A big girl that calls her friends in the middle of the night to come see if there are boogeymen outside her window?"

I scowled.

"Just get in bed, Ina. You look like hell, have you not been sleeping because of this?" he asked. Was that concern in his face? Be still my beating heart!

I looked at the ground and blushed, scratching my head nervously. Why was it any of his business anyway? Oh right, I'm the dummy that called him into it. He patted the bed behind him and I sat down.

"I'm not crazy," I mumbled. He nodded his head.

"I know. I believe you. Is there anything else that has been bothering you?"

"What, are you my therapist or something?" I snapped. He winced.

"I can be," he said finally, looking at me pointedly, his coffee colored eyes gentle. I really just wanted to cry right then, and I did. Paul scooted up on the bed beside me and put my head on his shoulder, wrapping his right arm around me. I missed him, I really did. Even though he was a pervert and a jerk, he used to be my best friend, the one person I could talk to about absolutely anything, things I couldn't even talk to Jay about. I haven't had any friends like him since. I wrapped my arms around his waist and just bawled my eyes out, for my nose (which was still purple) and for Jake and for missing Paul and any other reason I could think of. He patted my shoulder and sat there while I drenched his shoulder in tears. When I finally felt like I couldn't cry another tear I sniffled and tried to wipe his shoulder off with my sleep, mumbling apologies. He chuckled and said, "better?" I nodded, then remembered when Jake had said the same thing to me after mouth raping me. Guess I lied about not being able to cry another tear.

"What now?" Paul asked, his voice alarmed. "You sure you're not on your period for real?"

"I'm sorry," I squeaked, rubbing my eyes vigorously. Wow, it has been a long time since I've cried like that. I can't even remember the last time that happened. Oh wait, yes I do, it was when Jathan moved out. He felt so bad he came and visited me every day for a month after that. Ah the powers of a tear filled girl over mankind. Paul squeezed me against him, bringing me out of my reverie. He brushed my hair out ofmy face and tucked it behind my ear before looking at me straight in the face.

"Spill," he ordered. I looked at him and shook my head, embarrassed at the thought of telling him my secrets. He thought for a moment before his fingers strayed over a particular spot in my back, and I sqawked before clamping my hand over my mouth. "Still ticklish, I see," he grinned, moving his hand to my back again. "Fine! Fine! I give up!" I hissed, pushing his arm away. He smirked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder again and giving it a gentle squeeze for reassurance. I took a deep breath and began.

"Okay, well this shadow thing has been freaking me out more than anything. I stay awake and watch it until it goes away, but even after that I can't sleep until the sun comes up because I'm, well, scared," I said, hiding the blush on my face. I mean this was PAUL I was telling this stuff to. It was weird, but I trusted him…I guess. He nodded for me to continue, his face serious.

"And that night at the diner when Jake drove me home, my mom was being a creeper and invited him to stay and have some tea. I accidentally burnt my lip and he straight up kissed me in front of my mom!"

"What? For real?" he guffawed. I nodded. "Hot damn," he whispered, "looks like Jakey has grown a pair after all." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That's not even the worst of it," I continued, "the next day after you pulled that little stunt about my period, he rushed right over and asked me if I wanted him to get me some pads or something."

Paul looked, well, appalled.

"I told him I wasn't on my period, that you just played a prank on me and then he was all 'oh well I think you need a hug!' and I like…wanted him to…but didn't at the same time, you know what I mean?"

"Um, not exactly."

"Oh. Well anyway, he just pulled me to him into this giant hug and I didn't mind at first but then I remembered what he had done the night before and I got really mad. I tried to push him away but it was like trying to push an ox or something. So I bit him."

Paul had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud while rolling on the floor, tears pouring out of his eyes. I got worried as his face slowly changed from tan to purple, but finally he took a breath and sat up, chuckling as he rubbed his eyes.

"That was you that did that? I thought he got attacked by something!" he roared, falling into a laughing fit once more. Good thing my mom is a heavy sleeper. He settled down after a while, smirking every now and then as I told the rest of the story, ending with Jathan kicking Jake out of the house and telling him to never come back.

"Ouch, a bit harsh don't you think?" he winced.

"Not in the least," I disagreed. I chose to ignore the part of me that felt different.

Paul climbed back onto my bed and fell back against the covers, pulling me down beside him. He rested his arms behind his head and frowned at me when I remarked about the amount of armpit hair he had grown.

"You would look the same way if you didn't shave yours every day. Don't hate because I'm terribly manly," he smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"So," he began, "this thing with Jake…do you like hi—"

"No," I interrupted before he finished the rest of his statement. He raised an eyebrow at me. "What?" I asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable under his knowing gaze. Dangit, that boy always could read my face like a book.

"So basically you're in denial?" he said, a smug little grin on his face.

"I am not!" I growled, crossing my arms. "Well, not completely." I blushed, staring at the ceiling above me.

"Aha, the truth reveals itself. So did you like the kiss and hug?" he inquired, rolling onto his side so he could gage my reaction. I just blushed harder and kept my eyes on the ceiling. He poked me in the cheek repeatedly until I turned to look at him. "So, did you?" he asked again. I nodded my head a thousandth of an inch and his face broke out into a massive grin. He pinched my cheeks and said a bunch of weird baby talk sounding things until I smacked his hand away. He just laughed.

"Why were you mad about it then? I think those teeth marks will be there for quite a while. It may even scar!" he said with a fake gasp. I rolled my eyes and turned onto my side, resting my head on my nonexistant bicep. Paul bit his lip to hold back a grin and I smacked his arm and told him to shutup. He pretended to zip his mouth shut and waited patiently for me to explain. I took another deep breath.

"It's…strange. Ever since I met him I've felt this weird, almost pull toward him, like I should like him but I don't want to. Like my body has a mind of its own, and my head is just along for the ride. I don't know how to explain it," I finished lamely. Surprisingly, he nodded his head like he understood, and didn't even give me one of his trademark smirks. "Why don't you want to like him? He's actually a really good guy. Pretty handy with cars too, might I add, you know with that piece of junk you have he'd be a miracle." Oh look, the smirk was back. I sighed and shook my head. "Well, um, he does hang out with you a lot," I stated simply. Paul's face fell and he whisper yelled, "What's that supposed to mean?" I gave him a look and he scowled at me.

"Just because he's my friend doesn't mean he acts like me," he frowned. "Although why you wouldn't want someone to be like this handsome, charming, loveable hunk of man beef is beyond me."

"Paul!" I snapped, and he grinned before becoming serious again.

"I wasn't lying when I said he's a good guy, Ina. The dude like, saves drowning puppies and kittens from trees and all that sensitive crap. He'd give you the shirt off his back if he had to, as you saw since he gave you his jacket when you were cold."

I nodded grimly.

"Jake is like," he paused, thinking for a moment before he continuted. "Someone once described him as sunshine, that's how much of a good person he is. He has this uncanny ability to tell when people are hurting, and does his best to help them even if they don't deserve one bit of his kindness." His voice changed into a bit of a snarl at the end.

"What do you mean?" I prodded, giving him puppy dog eyes. He sighed and ran his hand over his face.

"He's going to kill me for telling you this."

"He doesn't have to know," I reasoned.

"Oh he'll know the minute he sees me," Paul grumbled, but shook his head and continued anyway. "Before he and I were friends, he met this girl named Bella from Forks. She liked this other dude named Edward, but Jake fell head over heels for her for some reason. Her lee—I mean, boyfriend left her for like six months and moved off without a word, so of course Bella was pretty much a mess. Jake took care of her while Edward was gone—"

"You mean he came back?" I gasped in disbelief. The nerve of that guy, really. Jerk. Paul nodded.

"Yeah, he came back alright, and brought a whole bunch of trouble with him. Jake was so in love with that twit he would do anything for her, and saved her pathetic butt quite a few times. While Edward was gone she had spent a whole bunch of time with him and they got really close and stuff. But as soon as Edward came back, bam, she dropped Jake like a hot poker and went back to _Edward_—" he snarled that last part, "—and tried to hold onto Jake too. She told him that she loved him, but she loved Edward more."

"What? That's low!" I almost yelled. Something burned inside of me, but I couldn't tell what it was. Anger? Jealousy? I don't know.

"I know right? I hate that bitch. AND not only did she tell Jake that, she also made out with him before he went and got in this big fight to save her stupid tail. I can't stand manipulative girls like that more than anything." His shoulders were shaking slightly, showing how angry he really was. I frowned, the weird feelings still swirling around inside of me. I hate this Bella chick and I don't even know her.

"How dare she," I grumbled. He nodded but suddenly calmed down, a content expression blanketing his face.

"That's why he needs you, Ina. He's pretty broken over what that girl did to him. You're the only one that can heal the open wounds in his heart."

"Have you been reading romance novels again or what?" I smirked, trying to lighten the mood. Paul grabbed my shoulders and made me look at him, his face completely sober.

"I'm serious, Ina. I can't tell you why but you're really the only that can help him. He _needs_ you," he said sternly, his eyes pleading. I was extremely confused. Why me of all people? Just because I walked in on him peeing does not mean I am his soul mate or something. I don't even think soul mates exist. If they did then everyone would find their's and hey look, rising divorce rate solved. Paul sighed, exasperated.

"Look, let me put it this way. I need you to answer me truthfully, not any of that tough girl crap, okay?"

I nodded. This was getting kind of creepy. You know things are bad when Paul Meraz is serious.

"I know you've only known him for a few days, but have you ever felt a pull toward him? That feeling you described earlier, where your body wanted to but you fought against it, did it make you want to go to Jacob and be with him? Did it feel like some incredible force had just hit you in the chest when you looked at him for the first time, I mean really looked at him. Did it ever feel like nothing but him mattered?"

Well that hit the nail on the head.

"M-maybe," I stammered uncomfortably. Paul rested his palm against my cheek, and looked at me with a strange expression in his eyes. He looked almost pained.

"That's destiny calling," he breathed.

"Well Destiny needs to stop messing with people and let them make their own decisions," I grumbled. He growled and let go of my face, flipping himself off the bed to his previous spot on the floor.

"Just promise me you'll think about it," he mumbled over his shoulder. "I promise," I sighed. He nodded once and turned to face the wall. I made a split second decision and crawled over to wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Thank you, Paul," I whispered, "You know you really are a good guy under this douche bag front you've got going on."

He snorted. "I do try."

I smiled and crawled under the blankets, and for the first time in days I had a good nights sleep.

I woke up the morning, erm, afternoon feeling refreshed and well rested. Paul was no longer sitting at the foot of my bed, but I knew I had not been dreaming due to the dirty foot prints on my carpet and my unlocked window. I tried to dust the dirt away the best I could, but you could still sort of tell they were there. It felt kind of weird to talk to Paul so intimately after all that time, but good at the same time. I had my best friend back, I hoped. My phone beeped. It was a message from Paul saying that I could call him anytime I needed something or wanted to talk. My eyes watered a bit at this and I smiled. Good heavens my period must not be too far away with the way I've been acting.

Later that day I called Nilly at the diner and asked her if I could come to work the next day. After a bit of heavy persuading, she finally gave in and agreed. The best part was that I would also be getting paid the next day, since I had missed it on Thursday. I knew it wouldn't be as much as my normal pay check, but hey, money is money. Sadly, the end of this weekend also meant that fall break was over, at least until Thanksgiving. I prayed for the month to go by quickly so that I could devour turkey and dressing to my heart's content. So it was wasn't really "thanksgiving" to us natives, since it would be kind of weird to be thankful for taking our land away, but it was an excuse to skip school and pig out. The best kind of holiday, in my opinion.

The weekend passed without much excitement. Paul had noticed my broken door and had come over to fix it, ignoring my protests and relishing my mother's attention. Jeez, I think that woman is trying to get me pregnant so she can have some grandchildren already. She asks me at least three times a day when Jacob Black was going to visit again, to which I always reply with, "never, hopefully." I wasn't quite ready to carry out my promise to Paul yet. It was bad enough when my mother gushed over every single guy in La Push trying to marry me off, but when Destiny starts telling you to be with someone it gets a little overwhelming. I had managed to avoid it for the better part of the weekend, coming in to work through the back door instead of the front when Paul's group was there and shutting myself up in my room when I wasn't working. Unfortunately, school was beginning again, which meant I had to be even stealthier to avoid confrontation with the devious Jacob Black. I thought out several escape attempts just in case I did meet him in the hallway or something, which hopefully wouldn't be too hard considering that I had never seen the guy in school before the bathroom incident. The only fly in my soup was lunch. No doubt Paul would hunt me down and force me to sit at his table, probably right next to Jake, knowing him.

Sunday night as I was getting ready for bed he sent me a text reminding me of my promise and giving me good luck for the next day, complete with a smily face. I decided against replying with some sort of derrogatory term and instead opted with a 'thanks.' After all, he knew my deadly, deep, dark secret.

That I actually like Jake but was too proud to admit defeat.

I settled into bed and drew the covers up around my chin, glancing at the window. The dog thing hadn't shown up since Thursday night when Paul came over, or if it had it at least had enough sense to keep away from my window. I closed my eyes and tried to relax and not think about the day to come.

I pulled into the school parking lot, looking around warily before creeping out of my car, keeping my eyes open for any sign of Paul or Jake. I grabbed my bag out of the passenger seat and nearly jumped out of my skin when I resurfaced from my car. There was Jacob Black leaning on the side of my car, beefy arms crossed and an irresistable grin on his face. My eyes widened and I could do nothing but stare at his imposing figure dressed in tight navy blue T-shirt and dark wash jeans.

"We need to talk," he said, smiling, and I finally broke out of my daze. Using evasive procedure number one, I quickly turned around and ran up the hill to school.

I entered first period English panting like a loon. I stumbled over to my usual spot in the front left corner of the room and threw my bag down, collapsing in my seat with a big grin on my face. The people around me looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care. I had just successfully evaded Jacob Black. I am awesome. The teacher finally came into the room and greeted us, an all too cheery look on his face for the first day back after a relaxing week at home. Of course, he had to give us an essay assignment at the end of class, which made the class utter a not so rare mutual groan. Other than that first period flew by without a hitch. When the bell rang I was the first person out of class, and I raced to my locker like it was nobody's business. Which it wasn't. I passed Embry in the hall and waved to my dear cousin before expertly spinning the combination to my locker. I tried to open it but it was stuck for some reason. I tugged the little hinge as hard as possible, but it just wouldn't budge. I banged my head against it and groaned, "Why me?" The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I whipped around to see, yet again, Jacob Black. His arm was resting on the top of my locker, holding it shut, and I of course had not noticed due to my vertically challenged self. He was only a few inches from my face as he smiled and said, "Paul told me that you liked my hug and kiss."

Curse that jerk to the deepest pits of Hades. The one in the Disney version of Hercules with all the swirling creepy souls.

I did my best to not blush and glare at him, which only made him smile more.

"So, I was thinking that if you weren't busy Friday night you and I could…"

I missed the rest of whatever I was saying when something caught my eye over his shoulder. Paul and Jared were across the hall, waving at me and holding an angry looking Quil, who was wearing a long brown wig. Jared pretended to leave and Paul grabbed Quil into his arms, pretending to make out with him, when suddenly Jared reappeared and snatched Quil away. Paul looked heartbroken and cried against the locker behind him. He turned around and gave me a thumbs up before walking away with the other two.

"Um, Ina? You there?"

A large hand waved in front of my face and I stuttered out, "Yeah, sure." What had he been talking about again? His smile grew even wider and I regret to say that he looked absolutely adorable at that moment.

"So Friday at seven, okay?" he asked.

"Okay for what?" I replied, confused. His shoulders slumped a little.

"Our date, silly. Did you forget in point five seconds?"

My eyes widened. Date? I had never agreed to that. I searched for an escape route and finally spotted one in the girls bathroom. "I g-gotta pee!" I shouted, ducking under Jake's massive bicep. I ran to the bathroom as hard as I could in a hallway crowded with people and immediately locked myself in a stall, sitting on the toilet (with my pants on of course) and pulling my legs up in front of me. The bell finally rang for second period and the last few stragglers walked out of the bathroom. I unlocked the door and crept out, going to the sink to splash some cold water in my face. I looked into the mirror. My face looked a little tight from stress but other than that I seemed okay. Medium length brown-black hair spilled around my shoulders, nearly blending in with the dark turtleneck I wore that day. My eyes were an odd mixture of green and brown (hazel maybe?), which looked kind of creepy but cool with my tanned skin. I shrugged at myself in the mirror and walked out of the bathroom, looking both ways before running to my locker and ripping it open. A note hung by a piece of tape from the top of it, and I ripped it down and read it quickly.

_**I'll pick you up on Friday at 7. Don't try to run away this time! **_

'Jacob' was scrawled at the bottom. I wadded it up and threw it in the trash, scowling at my rapidly beating heart.

As luck would have it, Jacob was waiting at my car at the end of the day, leaning against it as he had been this morning. "Hey," he said, smiling as I walked up. "Did you get my note?"

"No," I said quickly, fumbling to unlock my door. A warm hand surrounded mine and stuck the key in the door, successfully opening the lock.

"You cold?" Jacob asked, a bit of worry crossing his face.

"No."

Jeez did he not get the hint the first time? Half of me hoped he had not.

I jumped as his face came closer to mine, his warm breath tickling my cheek as he whispered, "Do I make you nervous?"

I squared my shoulders and glared at him. "No, Jacob Black, you do not and never will make me nervous."

He suddenly leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose before turning to walk away. I stood there in shock as he turned around, grinned, and said, "That's not what your heart is telling me."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello again dearest readers! Sorry this chapter took so long. I come home from work dead tired and when I'm tired I get an extremely bad case of writer's block. Thankfully a friend made me eat ice cream tonight so I was a tad more awake. ^_^ Please review if you can! I would love to hear from you. I know things between Jake and Ina are moving kind of slow, but I want them that way. So just bear with me please. _ Next week I only have to work Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday nights so I should have lots of free time to type my little heart away. By the way, does anyone else go through the evasive procedure thought process like I do or is it just me being weird? _ Just wondering. Sorry for the long note! Thanks again!**

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**Chapter 5**

The rest of the week flew by quickly. I was in a daze most of the time, trying to figure out how to avoid going on this 'date' with Jacob. Paul came over to my house later that day, super excited and begging me for details. He's worse than a girl sometimes, I swear. Everyday I came home and finished my homework as quickly as possible, then just laid splayed out across my bed thinking up more escape plans. I refused to tell my mom about the date, because no doubt she would be making me go shopping and whatnot. I shuddered at the thought.

Well, she didn't have to, Paul did it for her.

Thursday (it seems to be the happening day) after school I was in the kitchen heating up some left overs when I heard a rapid knocking at my door. I opened it to reveal a grinning trio of Paul, Embry, and Jared. Quil honked and waved from his beat up pick up truck.

"To what event do I owe this surprise?" I asked, my glance flickering between the three. Paul and Jared grinned widely while Embry just rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"We would like to take you shopping for your big date Friday," Paul replied, leaning up against the door frame. I tried to shut it in his face but Jared jumped inside the house and waggled a finger at me, tsking like an old woman. "Come on, it'll be fun!" he begged. Guys saying that shopping will be fun…weird. The microwave dinged but Jared opened the door and pulled me out of the house before I could move to retrieve my food. He threw me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes and walked to the truck.

"I'm not even wearing shoes!" I yelled, hand waving uselessly in the direction of my house. Jared ignored me and stuck me in the truck beside Quil, who patted my knee in sympathy. Jared and Embry climbed in the back of the truck while Paul locked the door and came trotting out of my house with my pair of neon blue flats I wore for Halloween as part of my fairy costume the year before.

"Paul these don't even match my outfit!" I whined. "How are you supposed to take me shopping when you have no clue how to match things?" His mouth dropped open in mock horror and he placed a hand on his chest.

"My lady, you wound me!" he said dramatically. Leave it to Paul to exaggerate things. Quil started up the truck with a bang, and Jared and Embry almost tumbled off out of the truck bed when he turned a corner too sharply. I grabbed Paul's elbow and the seat under me, hanging on for dear life. We passed my mom on the highway, coming home from her job at the grocery store in Forks. She didn't notice as we flew by, even though I sent her mental 'help!' signals. I wasn't exactly sure where we were going but I figured we were heading to Port Angeles for our little shopping spree. I settled in and tried to relax a little even though Quil's driving was less than a peaceful Sunday drive through the woods.

"I already told your mom where we going earlier this week, so no need to worry about that," Paul assured me. I looked at him in wide eyed horror.

"Did you tell her what we were doing and why?" I choked out. He smiled.

"Nah, I just told her we were going to hang out with a few friends, and that Friday you were going with me to a bonfire down at the beach. So you'll need to be at my house when Jake comes to pick you up."

Crap. No way to get out of this mess now.

I nodded and spent the rest of the drive in relative silence, laughing every now and then as Quil and Paul belted out whatever song they knew that came on the radio. Their rendition of "Gimme More" by Britney Spears almost killed me, I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. They started singing to me and pulling on my hair and rubbing my legs, and even made Embry swat at them through the window and tell them to lay off. Finally the song went off and we pulled into Port Angeles, me gasping for air, Quil and Paul laughing their heads off, and Jared and Embry looking more than a little windswept. Quil parallel parked at the end of Main Street and we all tumbled out of the truck. The sheer size of the guys earned us more than a few glances as they dragged me into a very pink boutique.

"Hello there! Can I help you guys with something?" the perky saleswoman said cheerily, looking a little scared until I pushed my way through the crowd of massive bodies. Paul leaned up against the counter and gave her one of his lady killer grins before pointing to me.

"This young lady has a date this weekend, and we as friends feel it is our supreme duty to make her look good. Real good."

The woman looked me up and down disapprovingly. Hey it's not my fault they dragged me out of my house wearing an orange hoodie, ripped up jeans and neon blue shoes. I glared back at her and crossed my arms.

"Well…let's see what we can do," she said finally, whisking me away to the fitting room. They threw various outfits over the door and told me to try on all of them. Embry's selections were the most sensible looking of all of them, Jared was trying to make me look like some kind of fairy princess thing, and Paul of course handed me clothes a little more on the sexy side. I blushed when I came out in whatever they put me in, since they all cheered and clapped every time. I was trying on what had to be the sixteenth outfit when I heard a mutual 'ooo' out of all of them.

"Hey Ina, try this on!" I heard Paul say as several clothing articles came flying over the door. It seems they had worked together on this one.

Several minutes later after much sucking in and buttoning up I emerged wearing a tight red dress, black tights (for warmth, Embry's doing I supposed) and thigh high black suede heeled boots. They all wolf whistled and clapped, and I blushed a deep enough shade to match the dress. The dress was extremely low cut in the back, almost reaching my butt before it became one solid piece of fabric again, and had three quarter length sleeves. The boots had to be buttoned all the way up, which was a long and extremely tedious process. Thankfully the dress had straps of fabric that crisscrossed in the back to hide my bra, or else I would be in trouble.

"Look at you!" Paul said in awe, shock evident on his face. Apparently he had picked out the boots and dress, while Embry of course had chosen the tights. I shot him a thankful look before being dragged over to the jewelry section by Jared. He held up several sets of sparkly earrings before his face lit up with one of them.

"Put these on," he ordered, his smile bigger than I'd ever seen it. I obeyed and Quil came over and slapped a few bangles on my wrist before they all stepped back to take a look at their finished product. Even the grumpy saleslady stopped fawning over them and looked at me, finally grunting and walking back behind the counter when she saw that she had lost their attention.

"Um, guys?" I stammered, "Isn't this a little too sexy for a first date?"

They all shook their heads no in agreement.

"Jake is one lucky dog," Quil chuckled, elbowing Paul in the side.

I had to admit that I did look…good, I suppose. Great even. Heck, I felt sexy. But wasn't sure if that was the message I wanted to give to Jake. Did I even want to give Jake a message other than 'leave me alone'? Embry rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I think I agree with you, Ina," he said finally. I sighed in relief as he looked around a bit more before picking out something sensible. The other guys sighed as I walked into the changing room. Embry seemed to know what looked good on me better than I did. He had given me a pair of dark wash jeans with studs down the side, a slightly ruffled white shirt, which I tucked in, and a black vest to go over it. I walked out and he placed a pair of faux snake skin heels in front of me. I slid into them and looked up.

"Well?" I asked. The guys all nodded thoughtfully.

"Still hot, I must agree. But we're buying you that other outfit too. You HAVE to wear it sometime, kay thanks?" Paul begged. I rolled my eyes.  
"What would I wear it to?"

"Um, to get laid, duh," Jared said like I was an idiot. I smacked my palm against my forehead and shook my head. "Guess I'll never wear it then," I said, happily placing the dress back on the rack. They all yelled "No!" simultaneously, their hands out in front of them to stop me even though I was five feet away.

"Who's birthday is coming up?" Quil asked quickly, glancing at the other guys.

"Mine! November twenty fifth!" Jared yelled, raising his hand in the air like a little kid. Sometimes I think he has the mental capacity of a five year old that says naughty things he hears but doesn't know what they mean. He seems so innocent sometimes, but so evil at others. I'll have to observe him in his natural habitat and study the enigma that is Jared.

Quil clapped his hands together and said, "Great! We'll have a birthday party for Jared and you can wear it then."

"Why would she want to wear something sexy like that for Jared's birthday party?" Embry questioned, his hand rubbing his chin again. Thank you, dearest cousin! Kindly come up with an excuse for to me to never have to wear it. And make it snappy. Please.

Jared danced over and put his arm around me, giving me a slight squeeze. "Because she loves me, of course," he smiled. Feigned innocence with an ulterior motive, that had to be it. I don't know if Jared is that smart though. I saw Quil cross his arms and laugh.

"No she doesn't, you dolt. She loves Jacob, duh."

"Um," I got cut off by Paul.

"Yeah but she doesn't know that she loves him yet. So if she wanted to wear the dress, you know, asap, then I don't think Jake would mind." He smirked his most evil smirk and I felt like he had x-ray vision and was looking at my underwear or something by the look on his face. Creeper.

"Yeah I suppose." It was Jared's turn to rub his chin thoughtfully. "Since she doesn't know she loves Jacob it would be completely okay for her to wear the dress for us."

"Guys, are you really that stupid and two-faced?" Embry snapped. They all looked him with 'whoa' faces. Embry getting angry was like the world coming to an end, or so it seemed. "You would really do that to your best friend? I think she should wait until she feels ready to wear it, and no Ina that doesn't mean you have to wear it to 'get laid.'" He smiled at me and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Don't let these guys pressure you into anything—"

_It's a little too late for that_, I thought.

"—you don't even have to get the dress if you don't want to. Unless you feel like being greatly, um, appreciated by Jacob staring at you for the duration of time that you wear it. I'm trying not to make this sound weird since I'm your cousin." He sighed. I cut him some slack.

"So basically you're saying that I should get the dress just in case I need it for some unknown reason and want to feel special and sexy and whatnot, not because I want guys ogling me?"

"Exactly!" He looked relieved. Dear cousin, have I ever told you how much I love you? I'll have to take him out to dinner or something sometime to thank him for his wisdom and help among this bunch of idiots. I wonder if stupidity is contagious. I hope not, but I highly doubt it since Embry hangs out with them more than I do and he is able maintain a certain level of intelligence. I chuckled to myself but the guys noticed.

"I was just thinking how happy I am that stupidity isn't contagious," I explained. Everyone except Embry frowned.

Soon we left the boutique and were meandering around downtown Port Angeles, looking for some place to grab dinner. On the way to wherever we were going, Jared spotted a pretty hairpin through the window of some shop and went in to buy it. He came out smiling like an idiot and made me put in in my hair, using a window as a mirror. It actually was kind of cute. Silver and shaped like a long leaf, it was about two inches in length. Now I looked even more outrageous, but it seemed to make the guys happy so I didn't care. We finally found an all you can eat Chinese buffet and entered, crowding around a long table that the waitress had led us to. The guys brought back at least two plates each, piled high enough to rival Mount Everest with steaming food.

"Jeez guys, you hungry or what?" I asked, gawking at the rapid rate of disappearance of the food on their plates. I looked down at my own measly plate and felt out of place.

"Here, try this Ina!" Paul said, shoving a piece of chicken in my face. It was covered in some kind of sticky goo, but looked delicious nonetheless. I bit off a small piece and chewed, my eyes widening at the taste before I bit the rest off of his fork. He chuckled and soon the rest of them were trying to get me to try things. I had to stop before I got too full to eat my own food, so they just shrugged and continued shoveling food into their mouths. They finished long before I did, which was weird because they had tons more, so all of them except Paul left to go get dessert. The waitress took advantage of the pause in the feeding frenzy and quickly refilled our drinks. Paul gnawed on a bone, trying to get the last bit off meat off, and grunted as he turned his head in my direction to try a new approach. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"What?" he grumbled, still gnawing. "You just look like a big puppy chewing on a bone," I answered. He just rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Paul," I mumbled quietly. He waved his hand in dismissal as the rest of the gang returned to the table. I took a deep breath.

"Thanks guys, for everything. I didn't think I would, but I actually had a lot of fun today," I blushed. Quil paused his eating, an entire slice of cake halfway to his mouth and smiled at me.

"It was Paul's idea. We should hang out more!"

The others nodded enthusiastically, their cheeks stuffed like hamsters while waiting for an answer.

"Oh alright," I said finally, giving in.

I don't remember much of the ride home because I was asleep for most of it. It had gotten a lot chillier as the night wore on, and I tried to think of some way to fit Embry and Jared in the tiny truck cab without us getting pulled over. They just waved me into the truck as we were leaving and climbed into the back, pulling the hoods of their jackets over their heads to block against the wind. I tried to stay awake but they had worn me out. Paul noticed my head dropping and pulled me against his feverish shoulder with a smile. I barely noticed Quil's crazy driving as I drifted off.

Sometime during the drive I woke up to Paul's rumbling voice arguing quietly with Quil. I jumped as we hit a bump in the road and sat straight up, looking around anxiously.

"It's okay baby we just ran into a pothole," Paul soothed, pulling me back against his chest. Sometime during the drive he had maneuvered us around to where he had his back against the truck door, his left leg propped up against the seat and his right on the floor with me leaned against his chest. Not a very safe position if we got into an accident, but quite frankly I didn't really care at the moment. I was tired and Paul was warm. I settled against his chest, resting my head against his neck, and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I felt safe. Like for the first time in a long time I belonged somewhere and had good friends I knew I could trust.

"Jared and Em okay?" I mumbled. Paul's voice sounded strained when he answered.

"Yeah they're fine, honey. Don't worry about them and just go back to sleep okay?"

"Kay," I mumbled, closing my eyes but not really falling asleep. The truck was silent for a while, then Quil finally spoke up.

"I think someone should tell her soon. It's not right to keep her out of the loop. Plus who knows what will happen when the Cullens come back, since Bella has been trying to get a hold of Jake again. I wish she would just leave him alone," he sighed. I felt Paul nod slightly and he ran his hand through my hair gently.

"I just…I just don't get why he had to imprint on Ina. She doesn't even know him, right? I've known her all my life, since we were kids. We used to play together everyday. What does she have with Jake?" Paul said grimly. What? Imprint? What does that mean?

"I'm sorry, man, but it doesn't work that way," Quil answered, his voice sad. "One day you'll find your imprint too, and you'll feel so much better. I promise."

It was silent for a moment.

"But I wanted it to be her," Paul whispered. They talked some more but I was losing focus, and let sleep overtake me once more.

When we reached my house Paul tried to carry me to my room but I swatted him away and stumbled up the steps to the front door. He followed me nevertheless, and I was thankful that he was there to deter any questions my mom had. He held my arm as we walked to my room, whispering, "I've got your bags, I'll come get you around five tomorrow so you can get ready, okay?" I nodded and flopped onto my bed, kicking my shoes off before curling myself around my pillow. He stood looking at me for a few moments, arms crossed and eyebrows knitted together in thought before he turned to walk out.

"Paul, what does imprint mean?" I mumbled without meaning to. I thought he might have heard me because he paused for a few seconds, but he just shut the door behind him and left me in total darkness. I suppose that question will have to wait until later.

The next morning I woke up to someone shaking me, my mom's worried voice floating through the haze of my unconsciousness before I finally heard, "Ina, it's 7:25 what are you still doing in bed?"

I sat up quickly and almost head butted her, my heart racing frantically. I grabbed some clothes and ran to the bathroom for a quick shower. "My mouth tastes like butt!" I groaned as I scrubbed vigorously to get rid of the nasty morning mouth. I dried myself off quickly and pulled my hair up into a messy bun, yanking my clothes on and barely remembering to wear shoes before I ran out the door to my car. I fumbled with the stupid lock before realizing I had left my bag in the house, but luckily my mom was standing at the door with it. Soon I was speeding up the road at an alarming rate, probably flinging chunks of asphalt in my wake.

I reached the school at 7:55, but of course all the good parking spots were taken. I had to park way out and sprint up the hill to school, once again entering English class looking like I was deranged. Everyone stared at me with wide eyes as I stuttered an apology to the teacher before taking a seat. He looked down his nose at me and held his hand out. I looked at it curiously before slapping his hand in a low five. The class giggled and he rolled his eyes and said, "homework."

Crap. Curse Paul and the rest of them for making me forget.

I told him I didn't have it, and he gave me detention during lunch. Lovely, I get to spend a whole thirty minutes getting stared at by some creepy old guy.

Well this day started off great.

I dragged my way out of class, narrowly missing getting run over by several of the more 'devoted' students (or maybe they were just avoiding people too). I shuffled to my locker, waving at Embry as I passed like always. He had a smile plastered on his face, but it fell when he saw how I looked.

"Hey, what's up?" he said. Embry must be some sort of magical being. He weaved his massive form across the hall without hurting anyone in point five seconds. I shrugged.

"Mr. Sampson gave me detention during lunch because I didn't have my homework," I grumbled while opening my locker. He frowned.

"I'll get the rest of the guys to come with me and explain for you, okay? We'll make something up."

I shrugged. It was just one day, not really that important. He gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder before walking down the hall to his next class. It was third period before it finally hit me.

Today is Friday.

My date with Jake is today.

I'm doomed.

My nerves increased by over nine thousand as the day wore on, and I was almost relieved to have lunch alone so I could think a little. I grabbed an apple and a bottle of water from the cafeteria before heading to Mr. Sampson's class to report for duty, sir. I knocked on the door before trudging in and taking a seat. He handed me a piece of paper, makeup work no doubt, and returned to his desk to stare at me so I started immediately. After a few minutes there was another knock on the door, and I looked up, curious to see who else had detention. The door opened and Paul, Embry, Quil, Jared, and…Jacob filed in, massive lunch bags in hand. He glared at them in question.

"Excuse us, Mr. Sampson, but we were wondering if we could have detention too," Embry said, presenting himself in front of Mr. Sampson's desk. "As it was our fault she didn't get to do her homework in the first place," Jared interjected, "because we sort of kidnapped her—"

"Giving her absolutely no chance to do any of her assignments," Paul finished with a dramatic flourish. Mr. Sampson crossed his arms and glared for a moment before sighing and waving them away.

"Very well," he said, "Just sit apart from each other and stay quiet."

They turned around and grinned at me like a bunch of fools. Paul and Jared patted my shoulder as they walked by to sit at the back of the class, Embry sat up front in my usual seat, Quil across from him, and Jacob sat a few seats to my left. I glanced at him and he caught me looking and just smiled, making my heart beat so fast I thought it would burst out of my chest and take off running. Although it made it harder to concentrate due to the various chewing noises and the tingling feeling on the side of my face caused by Jacob's staring, I was happy that they were there for me. That teary eyed feeling came up again and I sniffled, surreptitiously wiping my eyes on my sleeve.

Makeup work is no joke. It was so hard I stared at Embry's back, willing him to hear my telepathic pleas for help for five minutes straight before I gave up and just did the best I could. Lunch was over before I knew it, and I sighed as I walked up to the teacher's desk and unwillingly turned in the paper I put my blood, sweat, and tears (literally) into. I held my breath as he checked the answers and, at last, nodded and waved me out. When I walked out only Jacob was standing outside, leaning against the wall. I tried to refrain from thoughts like _'wow he looks delicious'_ and instead beamed a smile at him. He returned the smile and shrugged his shoulders, his hands in his pocket.

"Paul told me to say, specifically in this order, 'no problem,' 'don't worry about it,' and 'anytime,'" he laughed. I shook my head. That sounded an awful lot like something Paul would say, but I was surprised he didn't leave some sort of crude or embarrassing term of endearment along with it. Maybe Jake just left it out for his sake, or maybe Paul was actually growing up. I'll never know.

"So," he said suddenly, holding his elbow out. "Can I walk you to your next class?"

I gulped and managed to squeak out a 'sure' before slipping my arm through his. He squeezed it against his side and grinned like it was nobody's business. I tried to calm myself down. I don't know how he knew my heart was beating so fast last time but I didn't want to give him that advantage again.

I had not talked to him since Monday after school, although I did catch his eye every now and then in the hallway or at lunch. It felt kind of weird because he seemed to know when I was there, and would look at no one but me until we passed each other. I could feel his eyes on my back after that, and had to hurry and turn a corner before the tingling feeling went away. I was brought out of my daze by Jake suddenly stopping, making me stumble a bit before I turned to look up at him.

"Why did we stop?" I asked, confused.

"Um, we're at your next class?" he chuckled.

I looked over and sure enough, Mr. Haney – Room 203 was plastered on the wall above the door. "Oh," I mumbled, looking down to hide my embarrassment. He laughed and brushed my hair away before giving me a quick peck on the forehead.

"I'll see you after school?" he asked. I blushed and nodded before retreating into the classroom. What powers did he have that reduced me to a bumbling idiot?

I received glares from several of the female students as I sat down. It's not everyday you see a bumbling idiot with a hottie like Jake. I took out my paper and pencil and tried to ignore it the best I could.

The day seemed to intentionally pass by slowly in order to torture me. Anticipation was bottled up inside of me, waiting to explode as every second of every minute passed at an excruciatingly painful rate. Seventh period was spent by me just glaring at the clock, willing time to move faster. Finally, _finally_, it was time to go, and I shot out of the room faster than you can say lickety split. I waited at my locker for a little bit, expecting Jake to show up there but he never did. I became a little disappointed as I walked out of the building, and made sure to keep my head down until I got to my car just in case he didn't show up. I got to the end of my car and looked up and there he was, smiling as always. I decided to make a snarky comment about that fact and test him.

"Do you always smile or are you just happy whenever you see me?" I asked.

"A little bit of both," he replied.

Well that didn't work. I frowned and unlocked my door, throwing my books into the passenger seat.

"So, um, did you Paul tell you that you'll be picking me up at his house? Because my mom is crazy and would never let me leave without taking a billion pictures otherwise," I said, trying not to blush. The wind gusted from behind me, whipping my hair out of its bun and making it smack me in the face.

"Ow." I tried to wipe the needle like hairs out of my face gracefully but ended up just having to hold it down with both hands until the wind died down. The sky looked a little cloudy, but by the way the wind was blowing I was sure it would be storming by tonight. I hoped Jake didn't have something planned for the outdoors.

"You smell really good," he said suddenly, sniffing the air.

"Um, eau de Herbal Essences?" I answered, still trying to tame my hair back into place. He shook his head. "No, that too but it's just something that's uniquely you."

I wasn't sure how to answer that, so I replied with a quick thanks, looking at my feet awkwardly until I felt his finger under my chin lifting my head up.

"I really can't wait until tonight," he breathed. I made the mistake of looking him in the eyes and instantly I was caught. They were dark and loving and open, seemingly baring his very soul and all that is the essence of Jacob Black to me and me only. I could see an intense and unyielding love, happiness even, but under that I sensed the pain that he had gone through. It was like he was trying to tell me something, and I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't move for fear of losing whatever it was.

The wind suddenly picked up again and my hair smacked him in the face, breaking the spell between us.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay? It didn't poke your eyes out did it?" I gasped, trying to control my hair. It has a mind of its own sometimes, and right now it was saying, "Get on with it, you romantic twit!"

He rubbed his eyes with his fists for a while. When he opened them they were red and a little wet looking.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Took me by surprise is all," he laughed. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

He leaned down and pressed a warm kiss against my forehead, letting his lips linger for a bit, and my heart nearly leaped out of my throat. I stood there dumbfounded as he smiled and walked away.

I eventually uprooted my feet from the parking lot and drove home. My forehead felt like it was burning where he kissed me, and I kept rubbing it trying to make it go away. I even checked it the mirror before going inside, worried that it had left some kind of mark and my mom would know. No, it was just tan like normal. I grabbed my bag and went inside. I tried to eat, but I was so nervous I thought I was going to throw up. So I did the only thing I knew to do to keep my mind occupied until five.

Thinking up escape plans.

It seemed to have become my secret passion over the past week. I vegetated on my bed, thinking up every possible situation that might occur.

_What if he tries to hug me? _

One part of me said to start coughing in his face to deter the present and future threats of said hug, while the other half said to go for it.

_What about that awkward arm-around-the-shoulder thing guys do at the movies? _

Shrug uncomfortably? Lean in closer.

…_kisses allowed?_

Most definitely. Wait, what? No! Proceed to evasive procedure number 16: sneezing uncontrollably! Or evasive procedure number…oh no, I was forgetting my vital evasive procedures. Did I want to kiss him and do all that coupley stuff? Surely not. I hoped. I was saved by the bell, the doorbell to be exact. Five o' clock had come way too quickly for my comfort, and soon Paul was dragging me out of my house and down the street to his.

I had no clue what this evening would hold, but I knew that no matter what I must not give in to the enemy.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Heya chickadees (and chickadudes possibly?)! Sorry this took so long. Have I mentioned that work kills the brain? I have? okay I won't go into that then. This chapter is a little more on the romantic side thanks to my listening to Norah Jones and Secondhand Serenade on repeat. ^_^ I hope you guys like it! OH! And I encourage all of you to go listen to "Pray at the Moon" by Anek. It is so Jacob it's not even funny. Like seriously. I've been listening to it on repeat for the past two hours while I typed, swooning uncontrollably because it's just one of those songs you want your future husband to sing to you while you're lying in bed one morning watching the sun come up. Or something. It's just a really good, Jacob-esque song that I have fallen in love with. It was a little hard for me to write this chapter at first because Alex Meraz has made me fall in love with his character, Paul, and I almost thought of switching this to a Paul love story but decided you guys might hate me for it. I will write one eventually! ****A friend of mine and her mother are reading this, so I'm a little nervous (Hi Mamma G! -wave wave-). But anyway, please review if you'd like, I would love to hear from you! Thank you guys so much for all of the favorites and alerts and reviews!**

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**Chapter 6**

"Paul what are we going to do for two hours exactly?" I frowned, sitting cross legged in his bedroom floor. Fortunately his mother wasn't home, or else she might have had a heart attack at the sight of me dressed up for a hot date. A hot date with Paul, she would probably think, and then I would have to go through the trouble of correcting her which would hurt her feelings and…let's just say that it is fortunate that she isn't home.

Paul grinned and stuck a hand under his bed, pulling out a large flat box. He shoved it over to me and leaned back against his bed, crossing his arms with an evil smirk on his face. I was afraid to look inside the box but opened it anyway. My fear was correct. Inside were several pairs of undergarments that definitely were not the comfortable cotton things I normally wore. I lifted up a lacey black thong with one finger and said, "Really Paul?" He looked at me innocently.

"What? I didn't pick them out. I commissioned that girl you work with to go find you some new underwear, seeing as your weren't really much to look at," he grumbled, pretending to clean his fingernails.

"You looked in my panty drawer? Paul you pervert you said you wouldn't do anything!" I yelled, throwing the thong in his face and getting up to leave. Date or not, I was not about to spend another minute surrounded by butt floss and lace.

He grabbed my leg before I could escape the confines of his room, looking up at me with pouted lips.

"I only looked at the sizes. Natalie said that it is important for a girl to have pretty underwear even if no one else will see it because it boosts her confidence and makes her feel beautiful," he whined. Exactly how much had he been hanging out with the girl? What was she, the Dr. Phil of Victoria's Secret? And who exactly is Victoria and what secrets does she have for crying out loud?

I tried to shake him off but he wouldn't budge, and just kept staring at me with puppy dog eyes and pouting.

"Look," he finally sighed, "maybe I had an ulterior motive behind this at first, but I really do want you to feel your best on your date with Jake, and any other time. I thought that livening up your underwear might make you see and feel how beautiful you really are."

"Right," I said, rolling my eyes. Suddenly I was on my back and Paul was straddling my hips, his face mere inches from my own.

"You _are_ beautiful, Ina. The way you look and your personality and how you don't take crap from anyone. If you don't believe me, ask that precious Jacob of yours and see what he says," he hissed.

"He's not 'my precious,' Paul. I don't even know the guy. I'm just going on this stupid date with him because you're making me. It's not like I actually like him," I grumbled. 'You lie!' my heart hissed at me, giving a random thump against my ribcage. I winced and he sighed, his eyes growing soft.

"You do like him, love him actually, you just don't know it yet."

He rolled off of me and sat with his head in his hands, trembling slightly. He shoved the box of personal material toward me and stood up.

"Just pick out some of the things you might like and get dressed. I'll go take a walk around the block so just text me when you're done," he said over his shoulder before walking out. I waited until I heard the front door close, then gingerly sifted through the box. Not all of it was scary like the black thong. I picked out a few things, blushing when I found something extremely scandalous and quickly throwing it aside. I had to give Natalie credit for picking out this stuff for me by herself, she sure was bold. I finished and put all the 'bad' things back into the box for Natalie to take back, then found the bag from the boutique in Port Angeles that held my date outfit. I quickly skimmed Paul's room for some sort of camera or other recording devices before quickly stripping down. I paused and glanced at the underwear hidden in my bag, searching for my favorite of the box. I plucked it out and put it on, my face as red as a tomato when I looked in the mirror. The white bra was made almost entirely of lace, but it didn't look trashy like some of the others. I cut the tag off and quickly pulled the ruffled shirt over my head and buttoned it up, yanking the jeans over my legs afterward. I guess Natalie was right, I did feel really pretty all of a sudden. My face was practically glowing with renewed vigor. Maybe it was called confidence?

After I finished dressing, I texted Paul and told him I was ready. The front door opened a little while later and Paul entered cheerily, looking like his old self again. He peeked at the box on the floor and frowned.

"You left all the good stuff," he whined. I rolled my eyes and glanced at the clock. 5:45.

"What now?" I asked. He thought for a moment for walking into the living room and flipping the television on.

"I was thinking maybe you would like play a little something I like to call, _Ninja Overlord_?"

He pulled out a square shaped video game and I grabbed it out of his hand and jammed it into the game console, grabbing the first player controller.

"Oh it is so on," I grunted. He sat down beside me and smirked. We quickly picked our favorite characters and soon were lost in an endless epic battle of ninja clan rivalry. Ninja Overlord was our favorite game when we were younger. Countless summer days were spent fighting in the country sides of Japan, attacking and protecting villages, stealing valuables from nobles, and more or less just trying to beat the crap out of each other. We clicked buttons furiously, eyes glued to the screen and butts to the carpeted brown floor. Eventually Paul paused the game to get us some drinks and snacks, so in between triple combo kicks and katana slashing we stuffed our faces with chips, just like old times. It seemed we had only been playing for five minutes when a car honked outside and brought us back to our senses. I frowned, remembering I had to leave to go on a date with Jake.

"Nooo," I moaned, "I was just about to kick your tail…for the fifth time in a row!"

"Psh, whatever!" Paul scoffed, shoving my shoulder. A knock sounded at the door and I got up to answer it, nerves immediately kicking back in. "Paul, I'm scared," I whispered, wide eyed. He patted my shoulder, although the look in his eyes wasn't exactly reassuring. "Don't be, it'll be as natural as breathing," he whispered back, his lips forming a tight smile. He swatted me on the butt and said, "go get 'em, tiger!" I nodded and gulped, then opened the door.

Apparently it had been raining. A lot.

Jacob stood on the porch dripping with water, but smiling as always. "Hey beautiful," he said, holding his hand out. "Hey, um, Jacob," I stammered, waving goodbye to Paul before stepping out. Paul gave a halfhearted wave and slumped back against the couch, and I heard him say, "this sucks," before I closed the door. I was a little sad that I had to leave since we had been getting along so well (for once), but I was excited about my date. Jacob's warm hand closed around mine as he held an umbrella over my head, and Paul was right. Suddenly my nerves were gone and being with Jake felt as natural as taking another breath.

Soon we were enclosed safely within his car, the rain pounding heavily on the roof. Jake took my hand and kissed it, his warm lips making my skin tingle where they had touched it.

"You look beautiful today, Ina," he smiled. "I suppose I'll have to thank Embry later, huh?" I blushed and rolled my eyes.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I scoffed, giving him a sly glance out of the corner of my eye. His smile was so sweet I almost couldn't take it. The boy was absolutely beautiful in every way, making it hard for me to keep my heart beat under control. He kissed my hand again and sighed, watching the rain drizzle down the windshield.

"Well I did have a romantic date on the beach all planned out, but it looks like it wasn't meant to be," he said sadly. "But I do think we can still have some fun and get to know each a little better back at my house. My dad is out in Forks visiting a friend, so we won't be bothered."

My jaw dropped open and I'm sure the color of my face was equivalent to that of a ripe tomato.

"N-not like that!" he stammered. A slight pink tinged his dark cheeks and I giggled. He scratched his head nervously, his cheeks dimpling cutely as he smiled. Could this kid be any more beautiful?

The answer to that is freaking yes.

We reached his house in a short amount of time since it was surprisingly not far from my own. I kicked my heels off and we sprinted up the steps to his house, feet splashing in muddy puddles along the way. He opened the door and smiled that sweet smile of his, letting me go in first. I waited at the door while he went to retrieve some towels. The Black family's house was small and rustic, but as soon as you walked in you immediately felt at home. The walls were paneled in dark wood and decorated simply with family photos and a few landscape paintings here and there. I looked at one of them, a scene of First Beach on a rare sunny day. The colors were exquisite and the waves looked like they were rolling across the beach, sunlight fracturing off of the water and bursting into sparkles all across the ocean. The world suddenly went dark and smelled of laundry detergent as a towel was thrown over my head. I pulled it off and turned around to see Jake behind me, scrubbing at his wet hair vigorously with a fluffy white towel.

"My mom did that a long time ago. That's her there," he said, pointing to a picture on the bookshelf. I picked it up and wiped the dust away to reveal a photo of a young couple surrounded by small children in bathing suits, two girls and one boy that I could immediately tell was Jake by the smile on his face. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, with long dark hair that twisted around her shoulders and almond shaped eyes so like Jake's.

"She's beautiful," I whispered.

"She died a long time ago," he said quietly, his voice solemn. I looked at him, shocked. He shook his head and gave me a small smile, taking the picture from me and putting it back on the shelf.

"Don't be sorry about it. She was a good person, an awesome mom. I miss her sometimes when I get lonely but I know she's still in here," he tapped on his chest above his heart, "and always will be."

He walked into the kitchen, but I lingered a bit longer to look at the picture more. I suddenly felt very thankful to her even though I had never known her. I nodded at her smiling face before following Jake into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

"So," he said, his face brightening, "would you like something to drink? We've got soda, tea, water, and this slushy peach juice stuff." He brought a can of juice out of the freezer and held it up. My eyes widened.

"Dr. Phizz's Phantastical Peach Puree? I love this stuff!" I gasped, taking the can and cradling it against my chest. "Peach it is," Jake smiled, opening the can and dumping the contents into a blender along with some ice, and also stuck some pizza rolls in the microwave. He ordered me to wait on the couch while he went to go get something out of his room. While he was gone I rolled the legs of my pants up to get rid of the annoying wet jeans feeling on my legs, happy that I had remembered to shave them this morning. Soon Jake returned with two glasses of the delicious peachy concoction that I did not hesitate to chug mercilessly, the pizza rolls, and a pack of cards. He had also changed into a pair of perfectly fitted jeans and a dark green shirt that set off his skin tone well. I had to force myself not to stare (too much), which was not easy. Believe me.

He pulled the cards out of the box and shuffled them a few times before dividing the deck between us.

"Ever heard of slapjack?" he asked, a twinkle in his eyes. Oh yeah, I had heard of it. Another game that Paul and I had used as an excuse to savagely beat each other as kids.

"Maybe," I answered back, grinning evilly.

"Let's get started then. Whoever slaps down last has to tell the other something about themselves, favorite color, favorite tv show, favorite thing about the other person, etcetera. Ready?"

I nodded, hand poised above my half of the deck.

"Go!"

The game was on. Both of us were more than a little competitive. When we hit the first double I quickly smacked my hand down over it, but ended up hitting soft flesh instead. Wow he was fast. I thought for a moment before starting out with something small.

"Um," I mumbled, "my favorite color is green." Especially on him.

We played for a few more seconds when he flipped over a jack. My hand was nearest, but somehow he managed to snake his hand under mine before I could get to it. Darn, had to think of something else.

"I love it when it storms. Like all out storms, not just this drizzling weather, although it is nice too," I finally said.

"Really? I always sleep better when it storms for some reason," Jake replied.

"Whoa me too!" I said excitedly. Gasp, we had something in common! He chuckled and waved for me to flip over my next card. He flipped over his five of hearts to match my five of spades, but I was too busy daydreaming to notice and he smacked his hand down, looking at me with an expectant grin.

"This is just not right!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air.

"Oh don't be a sore loser. Tell me something you like about me this time," he said, smiling. I liked _that_.

"I like…" _don't give in to the enemy! _rang through my head and I gulped. Oh yeah, I was supposed to not be having fun so he would leave me alone. He looked at me with his head resting on his palm, leaning forward with his legs crossed. Darn his cuteness! I tried to think of something mean to say but failed when faced with those big brown eyes, so I decided to just be honest. What could it hurt? Except my pride, but that wasn't really important anyway.

"You like…?" he questioned, his eyes sparkling playfully. I bit my lip and said, "I like the way you're always smiling. It makes me feel happy." I blushed and glanced at him, and he smiled even wider. We began again and finally, _finally _after fifty million fails on my part, I somehow managed to beat him.

"Ah! I win!" I shouted. I leaned forward waiting for his answer. He thought for a moment.

"I like how you blush when I do this." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead before I could back away. I blinked a few times in surprise and felt my face heating up. I covered my cheeks with my hands and scowled at him.

"Don't do that!" he groaned, pulling on my hands. "You look adorable when you blush."

Me? Adorable? Ah, wait, he has not yet been exposed to Ina-being-a-bum-around-the-house. Sure, I'll let him think that while he can. Wait, did that mean that I wanted him to be around long enough to see that mess? I was at war with myself and it was not a very fun experience. A part of me said that this was wrong, that he was just another of Paul's dumb friends (wait…they were now my dumb friends too…) and that he would dump me once a prettier girl came along. But another part of me that I had not realized had existed _yearned_ to be with him, to always see that beautiful sweet smile of his spread across his face, to feel his warm arms around me like they had been the night I had kicked him out. I had been trying so hard not to like him that I wouldn't even recognize the feelings I had for him all along. Paul's words came floating back to my mind and suddenly I realized what he had been saying. I did like Jake, a lot, but I didn't know it because I wouldn't let myself know it.

"What are you thinking about?" Jake's voice suddenly brought me out of my thoughts and I jumped, realizing I had spaced out for who knows how long.

"Uh, n-nothing," I stammered. His face was gentle, his head cocked to the side in curiosity. He stared at me for a while longer until I squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Come on, you can tell me. Was it about me?" he asked, poking my leg with a hopeful smile on his face.

"Not…exactly?"

He smirked and leaned forward on his knees. "So it was about me?"

I scrambled backwards as he crawled closer to me.

"What was it? Were you thinking about how handsome I am?" he questioned. I scoffed but it turned into a squeak as I hit the wall behind me. I was trapped. I stared at him wide eyed as he got closer and put his hands on both sides of my head. I could feel the heat literally radiating off of his body and I gulped, my heart thumping hard against my chest. He stopped mere inches from my face, his eyes flickering between my lips and eyes.

"Were you thinking about how much you actually like me?" he whispered, biting his lip. He had that look again, like he really wanted to tell me something but was afraid to. He leaned forward a little more and turned his head slightly to the right, eyes asking me for permission. I just sat there, frozen as he moved a little closer, close enough for me to feel his breath drifting across my lips. I closed my eyes and awaited my fate with certainty.

White flashed across my eyelids and thunder boomed loud enough to shake the house. I suddenly found myself wrapped around Jake, holding him tightly. Lightning flashed again and I jumped as the lights in the house flickered and went out.

"I thought you liked storms?" he teased, squeezing me gently.

"I do," I replied with a shaky breath, "that just startled me is all."

He laughed and patted my back, mumbling, "stupid lights," as he led me over to the couch.

"Watch your foot, your glass is right next to it," he said. I felt my way around the glass and somehow made it to the couch. "How on earth can you see?" I asked in disbelief to the patch of darkness in front of me that I assumed was Jacob. "I'm over here," his voice chuckled to my right. I waved my hands around uselessly and tried to find him. He took them gently and placed them on his shoulders, leaving his hands on top of mine. _His lovely, warm,muscled shoulders_, I thought, shivering slightly.

"Cold?" his disembodied voice asked. His hands slid up my arms to my shoulders and gently pulled me against him. My face flushed as he cradled me against his chest, but it felt right somehow.

"Jacob?" I questioned.

"Call me Jake. You only call me Jacob when you're nervous or mad, and you have no reason to be nervous around me. I hope you're not mad," he chuckled. I suppose he is right.

"Um, Jake?"

"Yes, Ina?" he said quietly. I could hear the smile in his voice. I skimmed my hand up his chest and onto the bare skin on his neck, touching my fingertips to it softly. It was extremely warm, but not uncomfortably so.

"Why is your skin so hot?" I asked. He chuckled and cupped my hand against his cheek, kissing my palm.

"That's just how it is," he replied.

Something told me I should have been worried. I was alone in a dark house with a guy I barely knew who was a lot bigger than I was, and a little affectionate to say the least. He hummed quietly in my ear and stroked my hair as another flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Strangely, I wasn't worried. I could only describe the feeling I had as right. It felt perfectly natural to be held by Jake, as if I had already placed my complete trust in him before it had registered in my mind at that moment.

"You doing okay?" he asked. I nodded and used his shoulder as leverage to push myself up a little. He kept his arms tight around my waist to hold me up while I traced the outline of his face with my fingertips. His jaw was square and hard, so unlike my soft rounded face, but I felt the pull of his skin as his lips formed into a smile.

"What are you doing?" he laughed. "That tickles."

"Memorizing," I answered simply. I traced over his forehead and down his nose, feeling his long eyelashes flutter closed as my fingers found their way to his lips. Just like I thought, they were soft and warm, the bottom lip slightly fuller than the top. They smiled and my heartbeat kicked up a notch. It was hard to see in the dark but I leaned in a little until I bumped against my fingers. He knew was I was doing and moved my hands to the side of his face, leaning in ever so slightly so that his lips just barely grazed mine. I leaned in closer and closed the distance between us.

The kiss was soft and sweet, our lips pressing against each other in a warm embrace. They met once, twice, three times before he leaned against my forehead and pulled my hand down to his chest. He pressed it against him and I could feel his heart beating rapidly under his skin.

"Thank you," he breathed, kissing me again. So slow and gentle, I felt like I was melting against those sweet, heated lips.

I jumped as my phone vibrated against my leg and the first part of "Crazy Train" started playing loudly.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry!" I apologized, regretfully flipping my phone open.

"Yes M-Mom?" I questioned, stuttering as Jake placed a gentle kiss against my jaw and moved my free hand to his shoulder.

"Honey where are you? It's storming like crazy, don't tell me you're still outside!" she panicked.

"No Mom, I'm at one of Paul's friend's house to wait it out."

I sucked in a breath as I felt Jake's lips against my neck.

"Okay, well come home as soon as it calms down! I don't want you out there in the middle of nowhere while this storm is going on."

"Yes Mom. Bye," I said quickly, snapping my phone shut. Jake nuzzled his face against my neck and sighed.

"You have to go home?" he asked, his breath tickling my skin.

"Unfortunately," I mumbled.

"Kay."

He kissed my cheek before getting up off the couch, leaving me blind in the total darkness. I winced as a light flashed in my direction, then was turned around to show Jake's face as he handed me a flashlight. His face was quite literally glowing with happiness, his cheeks flushed and his eyes dark with something I couldn't quite recognize. He ran a hand through his short dark hair, making it stand up in all directions.

"You ready?"

He looked a little irritated but smiled nonetheless. I nodded and he grabbed our glasses from the floor, draining the remnants and putting the glasses in the sink before grabbing his jacket off of the rack and wrapping it around me.

"Don't get wet," he joked, laughing at me wrapped in his oversized jacket. I nodded and we headed onto the porch while he locked the door, then ran to his car. He opened my door for me first then splashed his way over to the driver's side and got in, shaking the water out of his hair. He started up the car and we rode in companionable silence. I rested my head against the window and drew his jacket closer around me, smiling at the familiar scent it held. I felt his hand close around mine and looked over to see him smiling as he drove. He squeezed my hand lightly.

"Shouldn't you have both hands on the steering wheel since it's, you know, dark and raining?" I teased. He swiveled his head to face me and smirked. "I think I can manage."

We reached my house all too soon, and just sat there holding hands for a few minutes. I was happy that I had given up my vendetta against him. If I had not, I wouldn't be as blissfully happy as I was now. We waited until the pounding on the roof slowed to a persistent knocking.

"I think this is the most fun I've had in a while," he mused, leaning his head back against the seat as he looked at me. I nodded in agreement and gave him my best smile, although I probably just looked like a drowned rat. He glanced back at my house then back to me and leaned in a little, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and his eyes half closed. I rolled my eyes and pushed him away, giggling as I opened the door and got out. He crawled out of his side and held his arms out in disbelief.

"What was that? I never knew you were such a cold person, Ina," he said, voice raised a little over the pounding of the rain. "Well anyone is cold compared to you," I joked, grinning. He ran to one side and I quickly retreated to the other as he chased me around the car a few times before sliding across the hood and capturing me in his arms.

"You cheated!" I gasped, thumping a hand against his solid chest.

"All is fair in love and war," he smiled. I scowled at him and held my hands over his head in an attempt to protect him from the rain. His shirt was already almost black from water saturation, as were the visible part of my jeans. He glanced at my raised hands before snaking his arms around my waist inside the jacket. "Let me in there with you!" he teased, sticking his face inside the hood of his jacket to place a wet kiss on my lips. He drew back and gazed at me with an uncommon tenderness in his eyes.

"Ina, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

There was no turning back, it was now or never. Abandoning the shreds of pride and dignity I had left, I reached up to peck him on the cheek before smiling and saying, "Yes of course."

After a few more sweet kisses I ran up to the door and waved at him before opening it. My mom was sitting on the couch watching the news. She cocked an eyebrow at my drenched clothes and euphoric expression before asking, "What happened to you?" I danced over to the couch and she gasped as I gave her a watery hug, then danced in place for a few more moments, flinging water droplets everywhere.

"I've got a boyfriend!" I sang. She was shocked at first but then got up and danced with me. She grabbed my hands and asked, "What's the date?"

"What date?" I replied, confused.

"The wedding date, silly!"

"MOM! I'm not getting married yet I just started dating the guy!" I gasped in exasperation.

"Who is it? Paul?"

I snorted and she looked confused.

"No, it's actually Jacob."

"I knew it!" she shouted, throwing her fist in the air before crossing her arms. "I saw it when he brought you home that night, that boy is head over heels for you."

I smiled and shook my head. "I don't know about that," I giggled, hiding my face with my hands.

She suddenly grew serious and motioned for me to sit down on the couch.

"Now I know how it is between you young people but I want to make sure you're safe," she said. Oh boy, I knew where this was going and I did not want it to go there. I squaked and retreated to the bathroom as she yelled, "Make sure to use protection honey!" down the hall. I rolled my eyes and locked the door, stripping my clothes off so I could take a hot shower to warm up. I wrapped a towel around myself when I was done and darted across the hall to my room, shutting the door behind me. I put my pajamas on and snuggled under the covers on my bed in an attempt to settle down and sleep. However, it was a fruitless attempt, so I squealed and kicked my legs against the bed in excitement. It was a while before I was tired enough to drift off to sleep with a smile on my face and Jake's peach flavored kiss still tingling on my lips.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey look an update! -le gasp- I'm off for the rest of this week! -dancity dance dance- Well, until Saturday evening anyway. D: Thanks so much for all the reviews and favorites and alerts! I really appreciate it! Please enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Disclaimer: I've been forgetting to do this, hopefully it's not too late. Obviously I do not own anything associated with Twilight, or else I would not be writing on fanfiction and have _published novels_ for crying out loud. Unfortunately, Jacob is not mine, and unfortunately, he has to imprint on a mutant vampire baby thing that should not exist anyway because vampire sperm should not be alive! -fumes- Anyway, the only things that belong to me are Ina, Jathan, and their mother, along with various characters that you don't recognize from Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse/Breaking Dawn. The rest belong to Stephanie Meyer. Thank you. (U_U)  
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**Chapter 7**

It was around noon on Saturday that I got dancing fever. I danced around while making lunch, wearing a pair of pink striped underwear I had gotten from 'the box' and my favorite T-shirt. IPod in one hand and peanut butter in the other, I lifted my hands up in the air and head banged for a moment before spinning around to set the peanut butter on the counter next to the bread, then slid across the kitchen floor to get a butter knife out of the silverware drawer. I sashayed my way to the counter before scooping out a massive blob of peanut butter and whipping the knife across the bread, bobbing my head in time to the beat. I slid back across the kitchen to the sink and shook my hips vigorously while washing the knife off, then jumped up and kicked when my favorite part came on.

"Oh let's make this last forever, partyin' with you together, on and on and on and on and on, Ima be rockin' like this, WHAT?" I sang, throwing a hand out in front of me, then spun around and almost fell against the counter. There stood Paul, Embry, Quil, Jacob, Jared, Seth and Leah Clearwater, and a few other guys I didn't know. Leah rolled her eyes and snorted, walking out of the house with her arms crossed. I leaned against t the counter wide eyed.

"I thought that was locked?" I squeaked.

"It was," Paul grinned, holding up a bobby pin. The younger guys were staring at me and punching each other in the arm jokingly. I couldn't hear what they said but Embry rolled his eyes and pushed them out the door. It was then I remembered that I was in my underwear.

"GUYS DON'T LOOK! TURN AROUND TURN AROUND!" I yelled, trying to pull my shirt down over myself. Paul cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Ina we've been sitting here watching you shake that sweet tush of yours for like five minutes," he smirked. I fought against the urge to throw the knife at him. Jake came to my rescue, standing in front of me while he pulled his shirt over his head and tied it around my waist. Sweet heavenly maker of BowFlex the boy was ripped. I stood drooling at his abs for a few seconds before a hand waved in front of my eyes.

"Oh, yeah, pants. Right," I stammered, still staring as I backed away. I ran into a corner and yipped before finally turning around and racing to my room. A few moments later I emerged fully clothed.

"Aw, I liked you better the other way," Paul whined. Jake shot him a glare and put his arm around me. I quite literally swayed in my shoes at the close proximity of those heavenly muscles.

"Don't talk about my _girlfriend_ that way," Jake said, emphasizing the girlfriend part. Paul snapped his fingers and smiled. "Dang, I was hoping she would say no."

"Nope, I said yes, so please refrain from speaking about this incident in my presence again or Jake will beat you up," I said, smiling sweetly. Jake nodded and Paul snorted, but there was a pained look in his eyes. A rather large man walked over to me and held his rather large hand out. I took it and shook it (hey that rhymes), and although my hand was dwarfed in comparison with his, he didn't crush it like guys normally do.

"Hi," he smiled, "I'm Sam Uley."

"Aren't you their boss?" I gasped in disbelief, pointed at Paul and Jake.

"Yeah sort of," he replied.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," I said, smiling up at him. Hey if this was the guy Jathan had been talking about, I'd better kiss up to him now so I can use his authority later if needed (insert maniacal laughter here). Paul walked up beside me and snaked his arm around my waist, smiling down at me.

"We were wondering if you wanted to go play football with us," he said, a command more than a question.

"Well I was going to do some homework and stuff," I mumbled, rubbing my chin.

"Bring it with you," Jake said.

"Yeah do that! Pleaaassseee?" Paul whined. They both got on their knees in front of me and gave me puppy dog eyes. Aw blast it, who could resist that? Soon I was being whisked out the door, peanut butter sandwich forgotten. Once we got outside I felt like some kind of freak, which was odd considering that they were the abnormal ones. All of them were extremely tall, beautiful, and buff, and I was just this short chubby kid next to them. I mean, I don't think I'm fat but it's hard not to feel a little insignificant next to these guys. Even Leah was pretty well built, and sure did show it off with her tank top and short cut-off jean shorts in this cold weather. I think I'd pretty much kill to have those legs.

"Well, this is the rest of the gang," Jake said, motioning to the others. "That's Seth and Leah, I think you know them, Collin is the one on the left of Jared, and that's Brady."

They all waved when pointed to, except for Leah. She seemed to have a bit of an attitude problem, but I wasn't going to hold anything against her. She probably has a reason to be that way. I blushed and waved back, and tried to give Leah my best smile. She just walked to Quil's truck and got in, slamming the door behind her.

"Don't mind her, she can be a downer sometimes," Paul whispered. Her head snapped in our direction as if she had heard what Paul said and I gulped.

"Be nice," Sam growled, glaring at Paul. Paul nodded and looked away, embarrassed. I liked this Uley guy already!

"So you totally have to teach us those sick dance moves sometime, kay?"

Three figures towered in front of me, all of their faces grinning and barely holding back their laughter.

"Sure thing," I smiled. They looked a little shocked and walked away to huddle in a corner and giggle amongst themselves. Jake rolled his eyes and looked at me, smirking. "Seems you've gathered yourself a little fan club," he said, nodding in the direction of Seth, Collin, and Brady.

"You guys ready to go yet?" Jared yelled from his jeep. We all piled into various vehicles and took off down the highway. I held on to the bar above my head as Jared pulled off the road into the forest, the jeep bouncing us around like popping popcorn. Soon he swerved to a stop, barely avoiding hitting a tree as we skidded along the ground and rose up a cloud of dusk. The other cars parked around us. Jake took my hand as I got out of the jeep. "Are we playing here?" I asked, looking around. The area was completely covered by trees except for a small clearing where we had parked.

"No silly, we have to walk the rest of the way," Jake laughed, putting his arm around my shoulders. Once everyone was out we began picking our way through the undergrowth, after about ten minutes we finally reached a huge open space in the middle of the woods. I pulled my sweater tighter around me as the wind gusted, missing the protection of the trees. No one else seemed bothered by the cold even though they were all wearing shorts and T-shirts. Must be a side effect of steroids or something.

"Shirts versus skins?" Paul questioned. Everyone else nodded and Jake and Sam got picked to be team captains. Jake picked me first, although I was probably going to be a liability. Sam picked Paul, Collin, Jared, and Brady while Jake picked Leah, Quil, Seth, and Embry.

"Everyone remember to be gentle, we have a lady on the field," Sam warned, smiling at me. I glanced at Leah but she was just glaring at the other team. "Leah's a beast, you'll see," Jared joked. Her jaw tightened and she said, "You're going out first Jared." He actually looked a little intimidated.

Each team huddled into position and started making plans, and I tried to listen to Jake even though I had no clue what was going on. He saw my confusion and smiled.

"Can you run very fast?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I suppose."

He grinned and the others rolled their eyes. "You'll be runningback then." I was still confused.

"Basically we throw the ball to you and you run to the other side like you've got hungry wolves chasing you. We'll protect you and keep you from getting tackled," Embry explained. The other guys snickered and punched him playfully while Leah shook her head.

Oh. Crap. This was going to be hard.

We got into position and Sam and Jake walked up to each other and flipped a coin.

"Loser is shirts?" Sam questioned. Jake smirked. "You know it."

Sam tossed the coin in the air and Jake called out heads. It landed on tails, which I was thankful for. They couldn't remove my shirt if they tried, I'd bite their hands off. I glanced at Leah and gave her a thumbs up since she was the only other girl besides me playing. She didn't seem to notice and just kept glaring at the other side, so I whispered, "Let's kick their butts!"

I could have sworn I saw one side of her mouth turn up a little.

It gave me a little courage as I turned and faced the other team just in time to see them take their shirts off. _Hot damn, _I thought, stealing Paul's favorite phrase for the moment. Though none of them looked as good as Jake. I remembered how he looked without his shirt and spaced out again, coming back to my senses when Sam yelled, "Hut hut!" Why was he talking about huts? The rest of my team scattered as the ball was thrown to Jared, who charged in our direction. I realized he was coming my way and tried to run, but he kept following me, a grin on his face. A blur flew by and suddenly he was on the ground moaning. Leah stood up and dusted her hands off, then spat in the grass beside Jared's face.

"Told you I'd take you out first," she stated simply, then walked back to her position. I just stared at her, awestruck. She noticed me watching and gave me a wink before assuming her angry playing face once again. Jake picked up the ball and soon everyone was running around like chickens with their heads cut off, especially me. I was trying not to get killed.

"Ina, go long!" Seth yelled, panting as he charged to the other side. "Go what?" I yelled back, running parallel to him. "Run that way as fast as you can!" Embry yelled from behind me, pointing in the direction we were going. He jumped and narrowly avoided getting tackled by Brady, so I just did what he said and took off running as fast as my little legs could carry me. Seth called out my name and I turned around in time for him to toss me the ball before he got tackled by Sam.

I dropped it.

"Sorry!" I moaned, hiding my face with my hands in embarrassment. Quil groaned while Collin and Brady burst into a fit of laughter. Jake patted me on the head.

"It's okay don't worry about it. I'm proud of you for trying," he said, smiling one of his sweet heartbreaking smiles.

"A for effort!" Seth called out. I nodded and got back into position, which was wherever Jake told me to go. Sam took the ball and tossed it to Paul, who gave me one of his so called 'sexy' faces and ran right by me, blowing kisses as he went. He soon regretted that, because Jake plowed him into the ground right away.

"Pay attention, Paul!" Sam yelled.

We started once again, Jake throwing the ball to Lea. She dashed to the other side and I tried to mirror her as she bounded over Brady and Collin and continued racing to the other side. Sam got in her way and she smirked, tossing the ball to me before purposefully running his head into the dirt, a smirk on her face. I actually caught the ball and panicked for a moment before Embry yelled at me, and I started running like my life depended on it. Which it did, considering it was either run or get pummeled by guys twice my size.

I heard footsteps behind me and I pushed myself to go faster. Whoever it was got slammed into the ground, but someone else was hot on their heels. I saw Paul racing in my direction out of the corner of my eye, teaming up against me with whoever was behind me. He jumped at my legs but missed as I jumped over him, breathing heavily. The end was in site. I just needed to figure out what to do with the large body standing a few yards in front of me. Jared was in my way, smirking with his arms crossed and feet planted far apart in the ground. I panicked and darted to the right, but he jogged leisurely in that direction, still smirking. I veered to the left and he merely changed direction. I was about to run right into his waiting arms when out of nowhere Embry's body was flying through the air and tackling Jared to the ground. I jumped over their tangled bodies and slid to the tree a few feet in front of me and touched it with the ball, a slow smile spreading across my face.

"I made a touchdown! I think!" I yelled, jumping up and holding the ball over my head. Everyone clapped, including those on Sam's team. A disappointing thought crossed my mind and I frowned.

"You guys let me didn't you?" I asked sadly, arms flopping to my sides. Jared struggled to get up, holding his rib cage and panting heavily.

"You think we wanted to get hit just so you could win? Don't kid yourself," he snapped, walking in the other direction. Embry came and put his arm around me for support, and I had to keep my knees from buckling under his weight. "Don't mind him. He's just mad he lost to a girl," he said, yelling the last part. Jared flipped him off and kept walking. I laughed and wiped a smudge of dirt from Embry's nose.

"Thanks Em!" I said excitedly. He smiled as the rest of my team disentangled themselves from whoever they had taken down and trotted over. Jake picked me up and swung me around, smacking a kiss on my cheek before setting me down. "That was great!" he said with a huge grin on his face. Seth stole me away and hugged me tightly while Quil mussed my hair with an amused look on his face.

"Let's take a break!" I heard Collin groan. The guys from my team called him various derogatory terms and went over to tease him. Soon they were all tangled in a dog pile with Seth laughing hysterically on top. I chuckled and shook my head, then jumped when I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see a smiling Leah. She was beautiful when she smiled, I didn't see how all the guys she knew weren't in love with her. "You did well," she said quietly. "It's only thanks to you. You were awesome out there! You're the toughest out of all of them!" I gushed. She waved me away, one corner of her mouth turning up in a smirk. "You kind of have to be with this bunch of mutts," she mused, looking down at me. Her face softened, but there was pain in her eyes as she said, "Thank you, Ina. This is the happiest I've seen Jacob in a long time. You're all he talks about."

I blushed and looked at the grass. "Does he really?" I murmured.

"Oh yeah," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"'Ina is the most beautiful creature I've ever seen, Ina smiled at me today, Ina sounds beautiful when she laughs, Ina, Ina, Ina.' Almost makes me sick sometimes." She smirked as my blush deepened and patted me on the shoulder. "He's a good guy, he'll take care of you. Just trust him, okay?"

I wasn't really sure what she meant by that but I nodded anyway, and we jogged over to where the guys were. My heart felt like it was going to explode if I ran anymore, so I plopped down on the ground beside Jake and crossed my legs.

"What, tired already?" he said, looking down at me with a smile.

"Excuse me if I'm not steroid poppers like you are," I panted. They all laughed and Jake gave me a quick kiss before heading back onto the field. I leaned back, using my hands to prop me up and considered the pile of homework beside me. All thoughts of homework vanished when I looked back at the field and gasped. Now they were playing for real. It was dizzying trying to keep up with where the ball went as it was passed and recovered from team to team. Seth seemed to have taken over my position since he was the second smallest after Leah, but it was easy to see why she stayed where she was. I winced as her elbow connected with Brady's nose and blood started pouring out, and without missing a beat she turned around and shoved Paul to the ground, then threw the ball to Jake. The girl is vicious, and I like it! I cheered her on, but a part of me was quite relieved that she was on the same team as Jake and Embry, and not against them. Jake looked cool as ever as he tossed the ball to Seth before taking a shoulder in the chest from Sam, using his hands to stop Sam from hitting him full on. I could see the tension in his muscles, and nearly started drooling all over again.

"Amazing isn't it?" a cool voice said from behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I whipped my head around to see an extremely beautiful, extremely pale girl standing behind me. Before I had time to think I was being crushed to Jake's chest and Paul, Sam, and Leah were standing in front of me while Embry and the others were positioned close around us. Their faces were all lined with emotion, and the tension made the air feel thick.

"Bella what are you doing here?" Jake's voice growled deeply from above me. Wait, Bella, THE Bella? I stared at her in shock, and she was staring right back, her eyes a strange mix between gold and crimson and looking none too pleased. She stood with her arms crossed, her dark hair whipping around her from the wind, but the rest of her was as still and cold as solid marble. Something inside me told me to run for my life, to get as far as possible from this strange, still woman with eyes like molten rock. She stared at me for a bit longer before snapping her head up to look at Jake.

"I came to see you of course," she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. His arms tightened around me and I could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

"Bella we told you to leave him alone," Sam said, his voice laced with anger.

"And I told you I didn't care," she answered simply, molten eyes glaring at Sam for a moment before returning to Jake. They softened, the colors in her irises turning to a darker golden color.

"I've missed you, Jake. Edward wouldn't let me see you because I was," she paused for a moment, "indisposed." She stepped forward but Sam didn't move. He crouched in front of her, shoulders shaking slightly. "Bella, if you take another step," he warned.

"Oh shut up," she hissed, slapping Sam in the face. To my surprise and horror, Sam flew through the air and landed a few feet away with a loud thump. Paul literally growled, something I had never heard before from a human being. He was shaking so badly that his form was almost blurred and Jake and the others quickly stepped back. A warm hand closed over my eyes, leaving me in darkness. I panicked and fought against it, not wanting to be blind in the presence of the ice girl but Jake's voice whispered in my ear quietly.

"Ina, I want you to close your eyes and not look no matter how much you want to. You might hear some disturbing things, but I want you to promise me that you won't look. Promise me," he said, sheer agony in his voice. I nodded and buried my head against his chest, hands clenching his shirt. His scent enveloped my like a warm blanket, and immediately I felt a drop in my panic level. I jumped as I heard shredding sounds and a deep, guttural growl that ended in a loud bark.

"Aw look, a puppy," I heard Bella coo. The growl ripped through the air again, making the very air itself seem to vibrate. Jake's arms were wrapped so tight around me I almost couldn't breathe, so I placed a kiss against his chest above where his heart was in an attempt to calm him. Although his grip didn't loosen any, he stopped shaking so much. Pain shot through me like an arrow as I thought about his love for Bella. Was he acting this way because he still loved her? I remembered Paul's words a few weeks ago, about how she had basically ripped his heart out and stomped on it before running away with her precious Edward. The pain was soon replaced by anger, a raging violent anger at the thought that this girl had hurt Jake so much. I don't know where it came from, but I seriously hated the girl at that moment and envisioned myself tearing her pretty face into bloody shreds.

"Do you hate me Jacob Black?" she asked, her voice as smooth as honey.

"No," he grunted, his voice shaky, "but I don't particularly like you."

She laughed, a musical sound that was similar to bells.

"That's too bad. I really have missed you, but I can see that you haven't really missed me much. Who is that?"

Jake's arms tightened even more and I squeaked. "Jake you're hurting me," I whispered, almost low enough that even I couldn't hear it. His grip immediately slackened enough to where I could breathe, but not much.

"It's none of your business," he hissed, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably once more.

"Jake, be careful," I heard Leah say.

"I'm fine," he grunted, still shaking.

"Why should he be careful? It's just some girl right?" Bella's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Bella, I'm warning you," Jake said, his trembling increasing. "If you don't leave I will hurt you."

Bella laughed again. "You can't hurt me, Jake. I'm like you now, a freak of nature. Besides, she doesn't know does she? Wouldn't want to phase in front of her right? Don't want to let your imprint know that you're a monster, do you? Or are you trying to protect her from knowing about monsters like me?"

"Bella," Jake warned. I was beginning to worry about his health. His body was shaking so much and putting forth so much heat that the feel of his bare hands made my skin feel like it was going to burn away. His heart was beating much faster than in should have been, faster than if he had just run a straight marathon without a break.

"Jake, give her to me before you hurt her," Leah said softly.

"Aww, poor Jakey can't control himself. You'd better learn how or your imprint will find out that you're a were—"

Suddenly I was flung against Leah with such force that it knocked the breath out of me. I gasped for air as she threw me over her shoulder and took off for the woods, Seth, Collin, and Brady close behind. But they couldn't get me away fast enough. I heard the sound of shredding fabric and looked up to see that where Jake had been now stood an immense, angry wolf.

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**A/N: THANK YOU **ichigoxxkurosaki**! I am a retard when it comes to American football and any other sport that does not involve cleats, keepers, and only being able to touch the ball with your feet/head/chest/anywhere but your hands (soccer). Apparently what Ina is doing while they're playing football is called a 'running back' not a quarterback. I am dumb. Do forgive my ignorance. -bow-  
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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. I've been kind of busy this week. I went to go see Eclipse for the second time a few days ago with a friend, and the whole theater probably thought we were insane with the way we cackled when Bella tried to punch Jake in the face and ended up hurting herself. XD Ah, good times. When Seth (Booboo Stewart) came up, we were all "awww wook at da wittle puppy!...oh crap, not so cute anymore...go Seth! Nom that vampire!" We also came up with an invention that we will most definitely patent. Here's the advertisement: "Vampy Chews! The vampire flavored chew toy that is the favorites of werewolves worldwide! Vampy Chews, they're a HOWL of a good chew toy!" What do you guys think? XD We're such nerds but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. :3 Thank you guys _soooooooooooooooooooo _super duper much for all of the reviews and alerts and favorites! I really really appreciate it, you guys make my world go round. ^_^ Please enjoy and don't beat me up too much! (you'll see what I mean. _ It gets better I promise!)**

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**Chapter 8 **

I couldn't believe it. The last thing I saw before my vision was blocked by trees was a huge, russet colored wolf standing with Jacob's clothing shredded around its feet. A second wolf stood on the other side of Bella, silver fur standing up on end and teeth bared in a snarl.

Leah was running impossibly fast, the younger guys hot on her heels. Seth kept throwing me worried glances as he ran, his legs pumping furiously beneath him. No one said anything or bothered to explain what was going on, we just kept going until we made it to La Push. I recognized Jacob's car parked in a yard as Leah walked up the steps and banged on the door. I heard it open and she walked right in, Seth, Collin, and Brady following behind. A man in a wheelchair, who I recognized as Billy Black, was sitting there looking confused. Leah put me down on the couch where I sat frozen in shock. They were talking but I didn't really register what was going on until Billy wheeled in front of me, concern evident on his lightly wrinkled face.

"Ina, I'm Billy Black, Jacob's father," he stated. I nodded slowly, feeling numb. "How do you feel?" he asked. I glanced around the room, Leah standing at Billy's side watching me with her arms crossed, Seth on the other looking like he was about to cry, the other two leaning against the door frame. I felt suffocated, their stares making me itch uncomfortably.

"I need some air," I choked out, getting up suddenly. Brady made to grab my arm but Collin stopped him and I ran out of the house, tears blurring my vision. I ran and didn't know where I was going, not caring that I couldn't breathe and that my legs ached from the buildup of lactic acid in my muscles. I no longer knew who I could trust, who I could turn to because it seemed like everyone had been lying to me. Paul, Jacob, everyone. I knew it had been a mistake to go on that date with Jake, I knew that there was something holding me back, telling me not to go because it would all end badly. I ran deeper into the forest in the opposite of the direction I had come in an attempt to get away from all of them. I ran until my legs completely gave out and buckled underneath me, making me fall and land face first on the ground. I spit out dirt and tried to crawl the rest of the way, but ended up stabbing my hand on a sharp rock. It started sprinkling, but I ignored the pain and the cold and crawled farther, my wound stinging with invading dirt. Eventually the rain got harder, and the adrenaline along with all my energy left me at once. I lay in flat in the dirt, eyes stinging, body aching, heart pounding, and sobbed uncontrollably. My muscles trembled from the cold, but I couldn't feel it. I was starting to go numb, and that was completely alright with me. Flecks of darkness prodded at my vision, so I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift away.

"_Ina. Ina! Wake up! Ina wake up please, baby don't leave me, please wake up!_" Jacob's voice floated through the air from somewhere far away. My slowly beating heart suddenly thrust against my ribcage.

Something warm and soft and _moving _was underneath me. It smelled like wet dog and dirt.

I was placed on something soft. A woman's voice ordered Jake to leave, and I watched him get dragged out by Sam and Paul before I went under again.

Mom yelling at someone and them telling her that she needed to leave, that I needed rest and to not be stressed out right now.

Dreams flickered through my head but all I caught were a few images here and there. Jake's smiling face before it melted and formed into a snarling wolf head.

Being twelve years old and playing tag with Paul and some of the guys. I tagged Paul and ran, but when I looked behind me I was being chased by a pack of huge wolves. I tripped and felt teeth sink into my flesh.

I watched my mom and Jathan being cornered, their eyes wide with fear before the beasts attacked. I screamed for them but nothing happened.

I woke up gasping and covered in sweat, which was weird because I felt my body shivering so much it literally hurt. I looked around the unfamiliar, dimly lit room and my eyes landed on a sleeping form beside me, immediately recognizing it as Jacob Black. I tumbled out of bed and crawled to the wall, pressing my back against it as Jacob's head shot up and he ran to me. A vision of his snarling wolf form flashed before my eyes and I screamed for him to get away, fear coursing through my veins like poison. Paul and Embry raced into the room and pulled him out, while Sam tried coaxing me back into bed. I shrank against the wall as he came closer, grabbing the lamp on the table beside me and throwing it at him. He held his arm up to protect his face and the lamp crashed into a million pieces. Jared and Leah came into the room, shocked as they saw Sam's bloody arm. I screamed at them to get away, tears beginning to pour down my face like rain. Sam nodded at them and they all lunged at me at once, each grabbing a limb and dragging me back to the bed where they held me down as I screamed and thrashed around.

I couldn't shake the vision of the wolves closing in on my family, snarling with fangs dripping with blood.

"Get away!" I screamed, trying to bite at the arms that held my shoulders down. They were going to hurt me, I just knew it. I worked my foot free and kicked Jared square in the jaw and flipped over to push myself up to take on whatever hell awaited me. I gasped as I was pushed down hard against the mattress, large hands holding my shoulders firmly as Leah jumped on the bed and held my legs down with her knees.

"Jathan!" Sam yelled.

I sobbed into the pillow, my head being held down forcefully. Jathan's face appeared in front of me and he stroked my cheek, his black rimmed eyes filled with tears.

"Ina, shh, honey it's okay they won't hurt you," he soothed. I screamed at him to run and struggled some more, but it did no good. They were too strong.

"Jathan, they're not human," I grunted, clawing at the hands on my shoulders. He grabbed my hands and held them tightly. "LET ME SEE HER!" I heard Jacob roar from somewhere outside the door. I flinched at the inhuman growl in his voice and fought harder.

"Ina STOP!" Jathan yelled. I stopped fighting and just lay there, panting and crying.

The hands released me and I was in Jathan's arms in no time, gripping him tightly as I sobbed. "Jay I'm scared," I wailed, clutching at his shirt. The door closed, but I heard someone struggling outside and things being knocked down before there was finally silence. Jathan's shoulders were shaking and I realized he was crying.

"Don't worry Jay, we can call the police. We'll get away, don't worr—"

"Ina!" Jay yelled, pulling me away from him violently. He clutched my shoulders, his fingers digging into my flesh. "You're sick," he said, his voice cracking. "That's why you don't understand. They're not going to hurt you, they're here to protect you."

"But I saw them killing you and Mom," I blubbered.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here, and Mom is on the way."

"Jay I saw them turn into giant wolves!" I yelled. My head was pounding and my vision was flickering like a broken television. He bit his lip and looked away as more tears rolled down his tired face. He wiped them away and guided me back into the bed, pulling the covers up around my chin. My muscles were trembling violently even with the warmth of the blankets encasing me. He wiped away the wet hair that was clinging to my forehead, his own hands trembling slightly, and took a deep breath.

"You're delirious, Ina. You have a really bad fever and have been in bed for two days now," he explained.

"You don't believe me," I stated, tears forming once more. He shook his head.

"I believe you. It took a while for me to get it myself, but I believe it. I promise you they won't hurt you. Jacob," he hissed the name, "wants to see you really bad. He hates himself for what he did, and for not telling you sooner."

"So it really did happen," I said quietly, remembering the giant wolf covered in shredded fabric. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Ina, do you remember the old legends? About the spirit warriors and the cold ones? Grandpa used to tell them to us when we were kids."

Of course I remembered. Grandpa was an excellent storyteller, and we asked him to tell us the same story every night before bed when we visited.

"Ina they're…well, maybe it would be better if I got Grandpa to explain it to you," Jathan sighed, running his hand through his dark, unkempt hair.

"Explain what?" I asked. The dark spot in my eyes were getting bigger, but I fought against them. I struggled to hear what Jathan was saying.

"Don't worry about it, get some rest," he said, his voice seeming far away. I knew he was right next to me because I felt his hand on my forehead, but I couldn't see him. A tortured howl pierced the air as I fell once more into deep slumber.

Something cool was being wiped across my forehead and down my neck and bare shoulders. A woman's voice hummed quietly, singing an old tribal song that had been passed down through the ages. It took a few tries to open my eyes, and when I did it hurt. The lights were dim but my head was pounding, and the rag being wiped across me felt so good. I looked over to see a young woman sitting beside me, dark hair in braided pigtails with several long scars running down her face. Even with the scars she was undeniably beautiful.

"Good morning sleepy head," she said softly, smiling. I tried to speak but no words would come out, so she grabbed a bottle of water and raised it to my lips. After a few swallows I could finally talk.

"Are you an angel?" I asked in confusion. She laughed and shook her head before dipping the rag in a bowl of water and ringing it out. She finished wiping my body with the cool rag, and I realized I was completely naked except for a pair of underwear. I blushed and covered my chest, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, Ina, I'm not a wolf. I'm just a puny human giving you your daily sponge bath," she smiled, returning the rag to the bowel and pulling the blanket up around me. She sat back in the chair crossed her arms.

"I'm Emily Uley, Sam's wife. I'm his imprint."

There was that word again.

"Where's my mom? And Jathan?" I asked.

"Your brother hasn't left my house since he found out you were here, and your mom is at home resting. She's normally the one that bathes you, but I do it whenever Sam makes her go home and get some sleep. She's been worried sick over you," she answered, her face turning grim. She picked up a folded shirt from her lap and held it up. "Want me to help you get dressed?"

"S-sure," I stammered. Emily helped me to sit up and I raised my arms up over my head as she pulled the shirt over me, then put a pillow behind me so I could lean against it while sitting up. I felt a little dizzy, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before. Emily stuck a thermometer in my mouth and told me she would come back, taking the bowl with her out the door. I heard a knock and Jathan's face peeked in through the crack in the door.

"Hey kiddo," he said, a tired smile on his face. I gave him a small wave and he came to sit on the bed beside me, taking my hand in his. "How do you feel?"

"Lile I need a toofbruf," I said, the thermometer making me speak funny. He chuckled as Emily came back into the room. She took the thermometer out of my mouth and smiled.

"Ninety-nine point five. Almost back to normal," she said cheerily.

"Are you ready to talk to Grandpa?" Jathan asked, his face worried. I felt so bad. I had never seen my brother so worn looking, even when he had worked four jobs at once. His skin was paler than normal and his eyes were circled in dark bruises. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. I cupped my hand to his cheek and felt the tears starting to well up again. "Jaynini, I'm so sorry about this," I sniffled. He shook his head, a hint of a smile ghosting across his face.

"Just get better soon, kay? You've had us all worried about you these past few days. We weren't sure you would make it, and if you did…" he trailed off.

"We thought you might go crazy. But obviously you're not, so all is well!" Emily finished for him. I sniffed and wiped my face.

"Let's get this over with," I said, taking a deep breath. My heart ached as if it was missing something, like a piece of it had been brutally ripped out. I gasped as it gave an extra hard thump as if to rebuke me for being an idiot. Emily gave me a knowing glance and took my other hand.

"Do you want to see Jacob?" she asked softly. My heart gave another hard thump and I clutched my hand to my chest and winced. "N-not yet," I gasped. I was still a little afraid of what I had seen, and I wanted to know what was going on before I saw any of them. She nodded and called for Grandpa Call to come in. He soon entered, his long gray hair tucked under a hat and glasses hanging on the end of his nose, just as I remembered him last. It had been a while since I had visited him, the last time being about a month before school had started. Emily gave him her seat and helped him to sit down, then stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders. He leaned forward and patted my hand.

"Ina, are you ready for a bedtime story?" he chuckled. I gave him a watery smile and nodded, and soon I was lost in his spinning tale. He told of a time long ago, of cold ones and spirit warriors, of war between the two kinds, and how our ancestors turned into their original wolf form in order to protect those they loved. He told me about how the shape shifting trait has been passed down from the original spirit warriors, and makes itself known when the cold ones are near. The cold ones, vampires.

"The spirit warriors had not been seen for a very long time," my grandpa mused, his eyes looking far into the past. "They decided to appear again when the Cullens came into our territory."

"The Cullens are cold ones?" I gasped, wondering why they were being allowed to live so close to us. Grandpa nodded.

"They are different. They do not feed upon the blood of humans, but of animals."

"Vegetarians, kind of," Emily interjected. The thought of a vegetarian vampire made me laugh a little.

"Our tribe created a treaty with them long ago, that as long as they did not take any human lives, or turn a human into one of them, they could live in peace with us. They also have to stay away from our lands," Grandpa said.

"So since the Cullens are living close to us, some of our people turn into wolves to protect us?" I asked. Grandpa nodded.

"That is true, but the Cullens themselves are not dangerous. An incident occurred a few years ago, with a group of nomads that caused the spirit warriors to emerge in full force."

He told me about Bella getting attacked and Edward's family killing the mate of another vampire named Victoria. Victoria hunted Bella down, and because she was nearby the wolves had to come back to protect everyone. Sam was the first to change, then Paul, Jared, Embry, and Jake. The others followed soon after. The Cullens and our warriors negotiated and decided to work together once they learned that Victoria was building a newborn vampire army. It all ended in one big battle, with our side winning of course, and Victoria was killed.

"Our warriors are human, but have the ability to change into their spirit forms if needed. They can also be provoked into it if they get too angry or upset."

I remembered Jake's trembling and racing heart before he threw me at Leah and…turned into a wolf. Even with the explanation and seeing it with my own eyes, it was still hard to believe. Never in my wildest dreams would I have seen any of this coming.

"They are also slightly different than the rest of us. Before they turn their metabolism speeds up, and they increase in muscle mass. Their body temperature increases to an average of one hundred and eight point nine and they eat like a bunch of pigs, or wolves I guess I should say," Emily said, chuckling. Well that explained a lot. So they weren't on steroids or in some kind of homoerotic workout group after all. They were just a band of furry, hotheaded brothers.

"Won't their body temperature denature their enzymes or something like that?" I asked, my inner nerd taking over. I had been hanging around Jathan too much, and I could tell by the way he was looking at me proudly. Emily shook her head.

"Their bodies adjust accordingly whenever they start changing," she answered. Grandpa took my hand and kissed it gently, looking at me with pride.

"And you, my granddaughter, are an imprint," he said with a smile.

"What is that exactly?"

"I think we should have Jake explain it to you since it's his fault," Emily laughed. I wasn't so terrified anymore, but it was still going to be kind of scary to face them. I nodded and she called his name. He was in the room in two seconds flat, and nearly knocked Jathan over in his rush to get to me. I tensed when he got near and Grandpa put his hand out to stop him. He looked at me sadly before going to stand at the wall opposite of the bed, and sighed.

"Will you be okay by yourself, Ina?" Jathan asked cautiously. I suppose he was expecting me to start having a fit again but that wasn't going to happen. I nodded and squeezed his hand for reassurance before they left, leaving Jacob and I alone. Before Emily closed the door I could see the rest of the pack peering in with worried faces. I took a deep breath to calm myself and turned to Jake. Even though he looked like a train wreck and was thinner than I had remembered, not to mention was secretly a shape shifter, he was still my smiling, beautiful Jacob. He immediately started rambling apologies and I held my hand up to stop him, patting the bed beside me. He gave me a grateful look and sat down. I felt like my heart was trying to burst out of my chest and run to him it was beating so hard.

"Ina, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before. If you don't want to date a wolf I completely understand, but what I want you to understand is that no matter what I can't stay away from you. You're my imprint, it hurts if I can't be near you, but we don't have to be lovers. I can be anything you want me to be and if you don't want to date me I completely understand but I love you and I would never hurt you," he rambled, his eyes full of pain. I stared at him with my mouth agape, incredulous.

"You…love me?" I asked. Surprise bloomed on his face as if he had just realized what he said, but he nodded, a determined look in his eyes.

"I love you more than anything on this green earth, Ina," he whispered. I was shocked. I had only known the guy for a few weeks, it seemed impossible that you could fall in love with someone in that amount of time. He noticed my shock and took my hand, his face serious.

"Ina, an imprint is someone that we wolves wait our whole lives for. They're our soul mate, we were made for each other. The very first moment we meet eyes with them, we know," he explained. His voice was careful, as if he was trying to hold back his emotion and not freak me out.

"So I'm…your imprint?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes, you are," he answered, "but like I said, we don't have to be anything romantic if you don't want to, okay? I can be your best friend, your big brother, anything."

His face was sad as he said those words, and I knew that was not what he wanted. His eyes were sad, so sad when I didn't answer immediately. I studied his appearance, taking in his disheveled hair, red rimmed eyes, and pronounced cheekbones, and suddenly I knew that he wouldn't hurt me. I knew that he loved me to no end, and would protect me with his very life. I wasn't afraid anymore, and everything seemed to click.

"Oh, come here," I smiled, holding my arms open. He looked shocked for a moment before a smile slowly spread across his tired face. He scooped me up into his arms and squeezed me tight, laughing as he did so. I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him as hard as I could, which wasn't very hard since I was weak from not eating in who knows how long.

"Nice underwear," he remarked, chuckling at my semi naked bottom half. I pulled the large T-shirt Emily had given me down over my legs and scowled at him. Someone knocked on the door. Jake settled me back on the bed and I pulled the covers up around me. He opened the door and Paul's head poked through.

"So do we get to come in too or what?" he laughed. He saw the smile on my face and ran in, throwing his arms around me. Jake growled a little but Paul ignored him.

"It's about time you become sane again! You nearly broke Jared's jaw," he chuckled, squeezing me tight. The rest of the group filed in soon after, not looking nearly as bad as Jake or Jathan but worried nonetheless. I blushed and ducked my head under Paul's arm to hide my face. He laughed and messed my hair up, then grabbed my hand. Just then I noticed that it was wrapped in bandages stained with some kind of ooky yellow stuff.

"How is this coming along?" he asked, unwrapping the gauze. Emily burst into the room and wacked him on the head, telling him not to touch it.

"I was just about to come clean it when you guys came in. You're in the way Paul, move," she ordered in a motherly voice. Paul complied and soon Emily was gently unwrapping my hand. When there was only one piece left to unwrap, she paused and looked around the room. "If you have a weak stomach you might want to look away," she warned. No one moved, just stared wide eyed at my hand like it was a present being opened. Emily shrugged and unwrapped the last piece, revealing a horrible looking wound that oozed pus and a little bit of blood.

"Sick!" Seth shouted, covering his eyes and walking out of the room. Everyone made fun of him for it but he just shook his head and said he was not coming back in. "This will sting a little," Emily said, holding up a bottle of suspicious looking liquid. And boy was she right. I gasped and clenched my teeth, throwing my head back against the wall. Jake came over and cradled my head against his chest, his face worried.

"Almost done and…finished! Here, this should help ease the pain," Emily said. She picked up a jar of a thick, gross looking clear liquid and dipped some out with her fingers, then slathered it on my hand. The pain was gone immediately and I looked at her in wonder.

"What is that stuff?" I asked, watching as she wrapped my hand with fresh gauze.

"Wolf spit," she answered, smiling. "It helps the wound to heal faster and keeps out infection."

It was gross but needed, I supposed. I once saw a man on Animal Planet who lived with a pack of wolves and was their "alpha," and he said when he got hurt the wolves would lick his wounds and they healed a lot faster than they would normally have. Ah the wonders of nature.

"Sam tried to clean all the dirt off when he found you but the infection had already set in, so it didn't really help much," Emily explained grimly.

"Sam found me?" I asked sadly. They nodded. "Where is he?"

"He's in the kitchen. Want me to go get him?" Paul asked. I nodded. Paul soon came back with Sam trailing after him, a smile on his face. I gasped in horror as I saw his arm, the one I had threw the lamp at.

"Not going to attack me this time, are you?" he chuckled, which only made me cry.

"Sam I'm so sorry!" I blubbered. Emily moved over so he could sit down beside me and I flung my arms around his neck. "If you hadn't f-found me I could have died and then I treated you like crap a-and—"

"Ina, it's alright. You were just scared," he said soothingly, patting my back.

"Scared is a bit of an understatement," Jared growled, rubbing his jaw. Everyone laughed and Quil punched him in the shoulder, which only made Jared even angrier, and he dragged a hooting Quil outside to do 'manly business.' I sniffled and looked around the room.

"I'm really sorry I acted that way, guys. I was stupid—"

"And you had just seen your boyfriend and best friend morph into giant wolves," Leah interjected, smiling.

"—and I didn't believe you—"

"Neither did I, at first, but it gets easier I promise," Emily smiled.

"—and—"

"Oh, Ina, shut up we get it already!" Paul shouted, thumping me on the back. Everyone laughed and came to give me a hug one by one.

"Are you hungry?" Emily asked once everyone had had their turn. "I have pancakes waiting in the kitchen if you want some."

"Um, _did_ have pancakes," Embry mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Emily rolled her eyes.

"I'll make some more," she smiled. I nodded, then remembered I wasn't wearing pants.

"Emily?" I whispered, glancing down at my legs hidden by the covers. "Oh, right! Guys get out," she said, using her motherly voice again. I think I would hate it if I ever made Emily mad at me. She was kind of scary.

"That includes you, Jacob Black," she said, glaring at Jake.

"But she's my imprint! It's not like I won't see her eventually," he grumbled, crossing his arms. I nearly choked on the water I was drinking.

"Jacob Ethan Black, if you don't—"

"Sure, sure," he sighed finally. "Geez, a guy can't see his own imprint in her underwear. It's not like I haven't already seen—"

"JACOB!"

"Yes Emily," Jake sighed, retreating out of the room. Emily glared at him as he made his way out. As soon as the door closed her head whipped around to face me, a huge smile on her face. Mood swings, much?

Soon I was outfitted with a pair of shorts, teeth scrubbed, and hair brushed and braided like Emily's. She fussed over me like a mother hen. I leaned on her for support as I stood up, my muscles weakened after lying in bed for a few days and my head pounding even more in my vertical position. When she opened the door Jake was immediately at my other side, and helped walk me to a chair at the kitchen table to sit down. A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"What day is it?" I asked. Emily smacked Sam's hand as he tried to swipe some of the pancake batter. He just gave her a sappy smile and kissed her, using it as a distraction to get to the batter.

"Friday," Jared answered as he flopped down on the couch. He had a satisfied smirk on his face as Quil came limping in a few moments later. I looked between the two is disbelief.

"Don't mind them, they always get into fights," Embry sighed as he leaned against the table. I thought for a moment, then jumped when what Jared had said finally registered.

"It's Friday? I've missed so much school! And why aren't you guys there now? Ahhh the loads of make-up work I'm going to have to do," I groaned. Quil rolled his eyes and scoffed. Emily glared at him menacingly and he hid behind Seth.

"First of all, it's four in the afternoon. Second, we have been going this week, just took turns to help Emily and Sam watch over you in case you went psycho again, and to keep your brother from throwing himself off a cliff," Jared answered in a disinterested voice, looking at his nails.

"Speaking of, where is that little weasel?" Quil asked aloud. I threw the salt shaker at his head and glared at him.

"I told him to go home and tell your mother that you were awake and sensible," Emily said. She poured batter into the frying pan and the entire room gave a mutual sniff.

"You bunch of pigs! You've already eaten breakfast!" Emily yelled jokingly. I looked up at Jake, his eyes glued to the frying pan.

"Jake, have you been eating? You look really thin," I whispered worriedly. He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the pan. Quil came over and smacked his hand on Jake's shoulder, smiling.

"Poor Jakey here has been a wreck. He hasn't been eating or getting much sleep since Sam dragged your butt out of the woods. _Oh Ina,_" he imitated, grabbing Jake's face, "_Ina don't leave me! I'll be so alone without you—_oof!" Jake elbowed him in the stomach and growled, but Quil just laughed. Soon Emily had a massive pile of pancakes in front of us, and I took some of the pile for myself, then gave the rest to Jake. I've never seen anyone eat so fast in the entirety of my short life.

"Emily," Seth whined, "I'm hungry."

"You just ate!" Emily yelled.

"But I'm hungry," he whined again, and the other guys joined in. Emily grumbled something about 'eating me out of house and home,' but grudgingly made more batter for pancakes. Jake was soon done with his plate and waiting for a second pile while I was still eating. He grabbed a napkin and dapped gently at my face.

"What, do I have something there?" I asked, paranoid. He nodded and dabbed some more, his brow furrowed. "It won't come off, stupid syrup," he grumbled. Quil suddenly grabbed my face and licked it theatrically. As I lay twitching on the floor, Jake chased Quil around the housing yelling curses against Quil and all of his descendants. Paul laughed and eased me back onto my chair, then stole a bite of my food.

"Did they tell you about the mind reading thing?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face. I shook my head and looked around suspiciously, wondering if anyone could read my mind. _I like potatoes! _I shouted through thought, but everyone just went about their business. Paul seemed to know what I was doing and chuckled.

"We can read each others thoughts when we're in wolf form. It's like a 'the pack is one' kind of deal," he explained.

"Yeah, so don't do anything with Jake you don't want us to see," Jared said, winking at me. I blushed. Quil ran back into the house and crouched behind me, Jake right on his tail.

"Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" Quil shouted, out of breath from laughing and trying to run at the same time. Jake glared down at him, his shoulders shaking. I patted him on the stomach (oh my, what remarkably firm abdominals!) and he seemed to calm down a little before throwing Paul out of his chair, taking his seat beside me once more. Emily slid another pile of pancakes onto the table and there was a frenzy of motion as everyone fought to get some. Jake put his arm around me and crouched over me, his eyed darting suspiciously back and forth like he was trying to protect me from getting speared with a fork and eaten too. The pile was gone in a matter of seconds.

"Any more questions?" Sam asked between bites. I thought for a moment.

"Do you guys have an alpha like regular wolf packs?" I asked. The room suddenly got quiet as everyone glanced back and forth between Jake and Sam. Jake shrugged.

"Technically, I'm the alpha," he answered, blushing. My jaw fell to the floor. "But I gave it up to Sam. I wasn't really up to the responsibility."

"More like he's a lazy bum," Leah said, rolling her eyes. Everyone laughed and the awkward mood was gone. Wow. Jake was the rightful alpha of the La Push gang. I bumped his shoulder with my own and beamed at him when he looked at me. He grinned sheepishly, the pink tinge on his cheeks growing brighter.

If he gets any cuter I think I'll die.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Heyo guys! Sorry this took a while, I'll try to have the next one out tomorrow or the day after. I'm kind of sad. I check my email quite literally fifty million times a day to see if I have any reviews or favorites or anything but I haven't had much in the past few days. :( So please feel free to review! Or alert or favorite if you wish. I'll even accept bad reviews, I'd just like to hear you guys' opinions to see if I'm doing okay. _ **

**Oh, and thanks to Eclipsia Black! I really enjoyed your review and the story you gave me. When I went to see New Moon with my mom I was so embarrassed. The scene came up where Bella cracks her head open (haha, stupid girl) and Jake whips his shirt off all macho-like, and my mom yelled "OH LAWD!" really loudly. XD **

**Please enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

I hung around Emily and Sam's house for the rest of the day until Jathan came and picked me up. I could tell that he did not like Jake one bit by the way he constantly glared at him. Jake tried to help me to the car but Jathan told him he could just stay inside, and tried to take me away from him. Jake wouldn't let go, and soon I was being tugged back and forth between them like a rope.

"BOYS! Could you release me, please?" I yelled, infuriated at them for using me as a median in their testosterone match. They immediately dropped my arms but continued glaring at each other. Paul quickly whisked me away and helped me get into the car, chuckling as he glanced back at the two dummies.

"Boy, you have it rough, huh?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with laughter as he buckled me in (which really wasn't necessary, I was weak but not that weak). I stuck my tongue out at him, then remembered something I had forgotten to ask all day.

"Hey, what happened after I left?"

He looked confused for a moment before it dawned on him. He rolled his eyes and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Bella said she just wanted to see Jake, but I think she just wanted to torture him more than she already has. I thought he was getting better too," he grumbled. "After you got taken away Sam and the rest of the pack had to basically beat me to death to keep me from ripping that bitch limb from limb. Jake was about to go after you when Seth came running up and said that you had run away and they couldn't find your scent. We split up to find you as fast as possible, because, well, technically Bella isn't over her blood lust yet."

"What?" I asked, my eyes widening. His head suddenly snapped forward and hit the top of the car, and I realized why once I saw Jake standing behind him, has face contorted in anger.

"What the hell was that for?" Paul hissed, his shoulders trembling.

"You weren't supposed to tell her that," Jake growled back. They started yelling at each other until Paul finally dragged Jake to the edge of the woods to do who knows what to him. The rest of the gang had come out to watch all the commotion and Jared patted my head comfortingly.

"Eh, don't worry. Jake's a big boy, he can take care of himself," he said smugly. He nodded at Seth and Seth grinned.

"Ten on Paul?" he asked. Jared nodded and they shook on it. Jathan, who was standing by Leah, grew pale as crashing noises erupted from the forest. We heard a loud yelp before it was silent again. Jake stalked out of the forest holding the hem of his shorts up with one hand and gripping his bleeding right shoulder with the other. He was fuming but smiled as soon as he saw me.

"Good lord, Jake, what happened?" I asked, my jaw to the ground.

He leaned down to kiss me with a smile on his face, cupping my cheek with his non-bloody hand, and luckily Jared was standing close enough to hook a finger through his shorts before they fell down.

"I just kicked Paul's tail, that's what happened," Jake said.

"DID NOT!" Paul's voice yelled from behind a tree somewhere. His head poked out of a bush and waved at us. "Can someone lend me some clothes?"

Sam grinned. "Nope. You're going to sit there and think about what you've done, mister!" he yelled back in a fatherly tone. Seth frowned and smacked a ten dollar bill into Jared's open hand, then stomped into the house.

"Dude, Jake, you need to eat more or something. I'm tired of holding your pants up!" Jared groaned.

"It's not like you all haven't seen me naked before. Do I turn you on?" my boyfriend joked. Jared rolled his eyes.

"No, but I'm sure you don't want your little princess here to witness what a sad disappointment you are here in front of everyone." Jared smirked.

"Whatever dude! Don't hate because you're junk isn't as big as—"

"T-M-I!" I screamed and clamped my hands over my ears. Leah walked over and bashed their heads together, rolling her eyes as she shut the car door. Jathan got in on the other side. I smirked as I caught him glancing at Leah.

"Thanks for taking care of me! I'll pay you back somehow!" I yelled out the window to Emily and Sam. Sam smiled and put his arm around Emily's waist, hugging her close. "Hey, we get our room back now," Emily said seductively to him. Everyone groaned and started walking away from the house. I gave Jake one last, okay fine, three last goodbye kisses before Jathan angrily spun out of the driveway. As we stopped at the end of the driveway to look both ways, I heard Paul yell, "DON'T LEAVE MEEEEEE!"

When I got home Mom, of course, was in an uproar. She flitted around like a hummingbird on crack, ordering Jathan around and forcing me to stay in bed. Jathan heaved the television into my room, Mom carrying the DVD player right behind him.

"What's this for?" I asked, bewildered.

"So you can be entertained while you rest, dear!" my Mom said cheerily. She ordered Jathan to go make me some chicken soup and sat down on my bed.

"Now, honey, I know you have a boyfriend now but you remember what I said about protection, right?"

"Mom, I do not want to have this conversation," I said loudly, covering my ears. She chuckled and patted my hand. "Then what is all that sexy lingerie stuff doing in your drawer?"

"You went through my room while I was gone? Mom that's horrible! Do I not get any privacy?" I shouted, gesturing wildly. She merely smiled. Feh.

"I understand that you're in love and you want to look…presentable to Jacob, but just make sure—"

"MOM. Natalie bought that stuff for me as a gift. She says girls feel prettier and are more confident if they have pretty underwear. Even. Though. NO ONE. Sees it," I grumbled.

"Well how kind of her! I always did like her, she's sort of feisty. Reminds me of myself when I was younger. When I saw your father in that leather jacket I just could not wait to get my hands on him—"

"MA! OUT!" I yelled, pushing her out the door and shutting it. I locked it, only letting Jathan in to give me my soup before locking it again. That woman is secretly a sexual deviant, I just know it. I settled into bed with my soup in my lap and flicked the TV on with the remote, but groaned as I heard a knock on my window. I set my soup down and got up to peek out the blinds. Paul stood outside, covering himself with two large leaves he had probably ripped from the banana tree in Mrs. Jenkins's garden. She was not going to be a happy camper in the morning. I rolled my eyes and opened my window.

"What do you want? And why are you still naked?" I hissed. He flinched.

"It's not my fault! Jacob made me so mad I phased before taking my shorts off and they got ripped to shreds!" he whined. He stuck a leg through the window and was about to climb in when I pushed his head back.

"You naked in my room alone with me, not happening," I growled. He ignored me and just pushed by, walking over to my dresser. I squawked and turned around, but not before his butt covering leaf dropped to the floor while he dug through the clothes. Paul's butt was not something I wanted to see, ever. Okay maybe a little, because between you and me he is pretty buff and it does kind of look nice in tight jeans WHAT AM I SAYING? I heard some shuffling and soon Paul's overheated arms encircled me from behind. I realized that, thankfully, he had found some shorts to put on.

"Thanks baby," he mumbled, kissing my cheek. I struggled to get free but was still too weak, so I opted to stomp on his foot. He cursed and whipped me around to face him, angry at first, and then he paused. He sniffed the air, then grinned, dare I say it, wolfishly.

"Hey babe, when is your next period supposed to be?" he smiled, eye teeth glittering dangerously. I had never noticed how big those things were before. I thought vampires were the ones with scary teeth? I guess it was also a werewolf trait.

"Um, w-why do you ask that?" I stammered, feeling my face heat up. He took another big sniff, his eyes growing dark.

"Just wondering," he mumbled, tucking loose hair behind my ear. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I stood frozen in shock as his lips travelled down to my cheeks, my nose, and lingered in the air above lips. Some kind of strangled sound between a moan and a growl breathed past his lips and snapped me out of my daze. I shoved his chest as hard as I could but he was immovable, like a block of human/werewolf sized cement. He hugged me tighter to him as I struggled, and I barely turned my head in time to avoid him kissing me full on.

"Baby, you smell so good," he moaned, biting gently at my neck and pushing me back toward the bed. What the? Even Paul wouldn't normally go this far, and he was the biggest pervert on the planet. I gasped as he flung me on the bed and crawled on top of me, preventing me from moving anywhere. I squeezed my eyes shut and moved my head from side to side until I felt dizzy enough to puke, but hey if that's what it took to get him off me I'd do it. He waited until I stopped, and I opened my eyes to see him staring at me hungrily, his eyes black with desire. He leaned down to kiss me again and I turned my head again, squishing my shoulders up to save my neck from getting attacked.

"Don't be a tease," he mumbled, smiling a little. Okay, this was not Paul Meraz I was talking to here. The guy was seriously possessed or something.

"Paul stop! Wait until Jake finds out about this he's going to kick your butt!" I hissed, trying to shove him off of me again. I prayed to every god known to mankind that that was the remote I felt pressing against my leg.

He nipped at my shirt, dragging it down with his teeth until a little bit of skin was exposed. He kissed the area below my collar bone gently. I gasped and flailed uselessly as teeth sank into my skin, and before I could scream Paul was off of me and being dragged out the window by some unknown savior. I looked down to see myself bleeding a little where he had bitten me, and pulled my shirt up to put pressure on it. I stood up and wobbled over to the window, shaking hand gripping the window pane as I watched a huge wolf, Jacob's wolf, standing with its front paws on Paul's chest. It growled menacingly at him, saliva dripping down from bared fangs. Paul was gasping for air beneath it…him, I mean. It was still hard to believe that creature was Jake. His huge head snapped in my direction as I appeared at the window and he lost the growl, jumping off of Paul to go run behind a bush that barely covered him. I watched him demorph back into a human, his top half anyway. He glared at Paul as he fumbled around behind the bush, putting shorts on I supposed, before he ran to my window and climbed in, shutting and locking it behind him, then pulling the curtains over it. He was panting heavily, shoulders trembling in anger as he looked at me. I gulped.

"Did he touch you? Other than kissing?" he said through clenched teeth. I shook my head and he seemed to calm considerably. He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around me, his shoulders still trembling slightly. "He'd better be glad I didn't kill hi—" He stopped in the middle of his sentence and took a deep, long sniff, then pulled back until he stood an arms length away from me. His widened eyes were growing darker by the millisecond as he stared at me.

"When is your next period?" he asked suddenly.

"Why does everyone keep asking me this?" I groaned, hiding my face. He moved my hands to my side and held them there.

"Please, I need to know," he begged. I watched his Adam's apple rise and fall as he gulped.

"I-It's um, next week. Should be anyway," I mumbled embarrassingly. He released my hands and continued to stare at me.

"I'd better leave," he said, his voice deep and husky.

"B-but! What if Paul comes back?" I stammered, grabbing his arm. He flinched and bit his lip, then forcefully removed my hand.

"Don't touch me," he growled. I stared at him in shock. What did I do to make everyone act like this? His shoulders shook more and I felt my heart thump pitifully against my chest. He hated me for some reason, I could tell. I tried to reach out to him again but he flinched and smacked my hand away, not even looking at me. Was he mad at me because of Paul? It wasn't even my fault. I tried to get away from him but the brute was too strong, heck he is a werewolf for crying out loud.

Tears pricked my eyes and I turned my back to him to wipe them away, but they kept coming. I knew there was a reason I shouldn't have dated him. I kept telling myself this, but did I listen? No.

I sniffled and jumped as I felt Jake's warm fingers against my shoulder. I looked over at him and he was still an arm's length away, but didn't look angry anymore.

"What's wrong, Ina?" he whispered, his voice gentle. I brushed his fingers off.

"You're mad me," I sniffled. His arms were around me in a heartbeat, crushing me to his chest as I cried. I don't know why I was still crying, obviously he was trying to make me feel better but it felt like there was a gaping wound in my chest. He hushed me and patted my back, laying butterfly kisses on top of my head.

"I'm not mad at you silly, it's just…I can't be near you for too long, okay? You're, um, in heat," he mumbled the last part.

"In what?" I asked, looking into his eyes. He seemed affected by something because he stopped talking and just stared, his eyes growing dark again. "In heat," he whispered. He closed his eyes and took a long sniff of the air, making the same in between sound that Paul had made, only it sounded nicer. Much nicer. The tears stopped as I looked at him in wonder, noticing for the first time that he was very very shirtless and very very gorgeous. His dark skin glistened in the light of the television, goose bumps raised along his skin wherever my fingers touched.

"Ina," he breathed. I looked up at him, gasping when I saw that his face was centimeters from my own. His breath tickled my skin and his eyes rolled back as he took another whiff.

"Oh god," he whispered. He growled, but it was a mix between his normal growl and the wolf one. His eyes flashed back down to my face.

"If I kiss you I won't be able to stop." He bit his bottom lip, his shoulders trembling much more. Stop what? …Oh.

My eyes widened and I pushed him away, with much more ease than I had Paul since he seemed to be somewhat in his right mind. His breath came in short bursts, panting heavily. He backed away toward the window, eyes flickering up and down my body. They stopped just beneath my neck and widened.

"He marked you?" he growled. His nostrils flared as he took big gulps of air to calm himself, his teeth bared slightly as he glared out the window.

"I'll call you. Lock your window," he said, and I jumped at how guttural his voice sounded. He threw himself out the window and I hurried to lock it as I watched him drag Paul away towards to woods. I hoped he didn't kill him. Kind of. I sighed and flopped down onto my bed, suddenly tired. What did he mean, in heat? Wasn't that when dogs got all fruity and stuff? I'm not a dog. He's not…well, in a way…nah, couldn't be. Wait, if I was in 'heat,' as he called it, did that mean that I unconsciously wooed Paul and him to me? I smacked my palm against my forehead and groaned. Major facepalm. When did that become a verb?

To facepalm: the act of hitting one's palm against one's face.

Sentence: I facepalmed when I realized that I wooed Paul and Jake with my previously unknown pheromones.

I shook my head to clear my messed up brain when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I assumed it was Jake and answered quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ina. Sorry about earlier," he said. I sighed with relief and leaned against the wall.

"Care to explain to me what was going on?" I asked, glancing at my now cold soup. Oh well, I wasn't that hungry anyway.

He cleared his throat and paused for a moment.

"This is going to be really awkward to explain," he groaned. I rolled my eyes.

"It's something I need to know, right? Come on, spill," I ordered. He took a deep breath and began.

"Okay, so, you know what being in heat is right?"

I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me.

"Yeah, kinda," I answered.

"Well, with animals they go into heat like twice a year when they are ready to, um, mate. It's like when they're most fertile and stuff."

"Yeah, I know that. I thought humans didn't go into heat, they just do it whenever they feel like it?" I mused. He made a choking noise.

"Ack, gross. Yeah, well human women tend to be, um, _fertile_ the week or so before their period. Like more fertile than any other time in the month. And they give off, um, signals I guess?"

"Like pheromones?"

"Yeah, exactly!" he said, excited that he remembered the right word. I scrunched my eyebrows together in thought.

"I thought humans didn't have pheromones? Or at least they couldn't find them."

Jake chuckled.

"Oh believe me, they do. And right now _your_ pheromones are screaming 'mate with me!' to us wolves."

My right eye twitched and I nearly dropped the phone.

"When will it go away?" I hissed.

"Um, when you start your period," he said quietly.

"Meaning, this is going to happen every month for the rest of my life?" I shrieked. He mumbled something unintelligible. I asked him to repeat and he groaned.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes! I didn't hear you the first time."

He groaned again and I heard a loud thunk.

"You have to promise not to be mad at me after I say this, okay?" he said carefully.

"Sure, yeah, I promise," I said, waving my hand in the air. He took another deep breath. Boy, awkward conversations must take a toll on him.

"Yes you'll have to put up with it every month, but only until you…" he mumbled again at the end. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, just spit it out!" I hissed. I heard him flinch. "I'm sorry," I sighed. "Being tired makes me cranky."

"Oh? You're tired? Well I can just let you go, you know we can finish this conversation tomor—"

"Jake."

"Yes ma'm?"

"Finish."

"Yes'm," he squeaked. It was kind of cute. I imagined him sitting in a chair, all six feet whatever of him, buff, gorgeous, and squeaking. I tried not to die as I choked back a laugh.

"It will last until you mate with your imprint," he said, his voice flat. This time I really did drop the phone. I picked it back up and squished it to my ear to make sure I heard right.

"I have to have sex with you to make everyone stop trying to rape me?"

He choked and coughed for a while before giving a weak, "yes." I couldn't believe it.

"B-but you don't have to do it if you don't want to!" he said hurriedly. "I'm not going to pressure you or anything, I'll just make sure none of the other guys get near you, okay?"

"Oh, I'm not going to want to, believe me," I warned.

"You don't want to do it with me?" he mumbled, sounding like a sad puppy. I facepalmed and felt my face heating up. This conversation was getting more awkward by the minute.

"Not right now, I don't," I answered.

"So maybe you will later?" he mumbled, his voice sounding slightly hopeful. I groaned.

"Maybe."

"Okay!" He was as chipper as a squirrel now. His mood swings were worse than mine, and I was supposed to be the hormonal one. Which reminded me…

"What do you guys do for the rest of womankind? You've got to be on edge all the time, right?" I questioned. Something felt strange inside of me.

"Oh, is that jealousy I hear, my dear?"

Yes that was it, jealousy.

"No."

He chuckled.

"Well, honey, you happen to be special. It's an imprints only kind of thing. You get the attention of the wolves by being an imprint, but you're basically up for grabs until you mate with whoever imprinted on you."

"What happens if an imprint mates with someone that's not their, um, imprinter?"

"Bad things. I don't know what exactly, but it's not good for either of them. So don't do it! Kay?"

"Duh, why would I want to do it with your friends?"

"I don't know. Just saying," he chuckled. I smiled and shook my head. He sounded so cute when he laughed.

"Okay, anything else now that that's out of the way?" I asked.

"Try having this conversation with Sam at sixteen."

I winced, thinking that would probably have to be the most unfortunate thing to happen to anyone. Next to having your mom look at your underwear and then talk about it while your older brother was home and in hearing distance if she wasn't careful.

"Oh! I guess I can tell you about your other imprint powers," he said thoughtfully. I gasped.

"I have powers?"

"Sort of," he chuckled. "Because you're an imprint and have to fend off wolves, you're one of the only humans that can hurt us. No one else can. Bella tried to punch me once and fractured her hand."

"Seriously? Why did she punch you?" I asked, eyes widening. He was quiet.

"I tried to kiss her," he mumbled. The jealously flared up again and I clutched my sheets, taking a deep breath.

"Please don't be mad at me it was a long time ago, way before I knew you and you know I love you and would never—"

"It's okay, silly, I'm not mad at you," I said, smiling while punching my pillow.

"You're not?" he chirped.

"No, it was in the past. As long as you don't do it again," I warned. He laughed.

"So what other cool things can I do?" I asked, trying to shake the jealousy monster off my chest.

"Umm…oh! I can find you anywhere. We have a cool bond between us since you're my imprint. And if you're in danger or feeling lonely—hint, hint—all you have to do is think about me really hard and want me to be there and I can feel it. If you're sad, I'm sad. If you're in pain, whoever did it better be half way around the world. And if you're happy, my world is complete."

I smiled at that last part especially. Who knew such a big, tough guy could be so incredibly sweet? I felt myself glowing with that warm, fuzzy feeling you get after watching a particularly sweet romance movie. I tried to project it out to him too see if it would work.

"Ina? You there? Oh... I made you happy!" he chuckled. I couldn't hold back my grin and said, "affirmative."

A thought struck me.

"Why weren't you able to find me last week?" I asked smugly.

"Because you blocked me out. I can't find you if you don't want me to," he said sadly.

We talked for a little while longer about various things before I felt my eyes drooping heavily with sleep. He warned me not to go near the guys until I started my period, which would be kind of hard considering we all went to the same school and lived in a pretty small town, but I would try my hardest. I grimaced at the thought of another episode like the one with Paul.

"Remember, don't be afraid to hurt us if we do something bad. Break a nose, bite as hard as you can, and knee to the crotch is especially important—"

"I get it, Jake," I laughed. He chuckled and paused for a second.

"I love you, Ina," he breathed. My heart fluttered in my chest, the glowing feeling increasing to a supernova. I wanted to say it back but I wasn't sure if I was there yet. I didn't want to say it and not mean it.

"Thank you, Jake," I said instead.

"It's okay if you don't say it to me. It just means that you'll really mean it when you do finally say it. Plus I can feel you're happy," he said, and I could picture the huge grin on his face. We said goodnight and I settled down under my covers and flicked the television off, feeling the happiest I had been in a long time. However, I suddenly remembered Paul and flinched, reaching for my phone. I wasn't sure how bad he was hurt, considering Jake had dragged him off in wolf form while Paul was still in human form on the ground. Paul had acted like a complete jerk, but it wasn't totally his fault. I dialed his number and waited, only to have it go straight to voicemail. I started getting worried. What if he was out in the forest somewhere, broken and bruised? Emily had said werewolves healed faster than humans but still. He was my best friend, and I didn't want him left defenseless somewhere. I bit my lip, thinking for a moment before I got up and slipped my boots and coat on.

The cool night air bit into the exposed skin on my face and hands as I opened the window soundlessly. I crawled out and shut the window behind me, making sure it was still unlocked. I looked around my backyard before finding a long line in the dirt where Paul's body had been dragged and set off in that direction. It was easy to follow the trail once I hit the tree line. Broken limbs were scattered everywhere. I walked deeper into the forest until I reached a slight clearing. A huge, dark shape lay on the ground in front of me, silver fur illuminated slightly by the scant moonlight. I crept closer and it growled.

"Paul?" I whispered. The shape whined as I put my hand on its shoulder. I flinched and drew my hand back, feeling a warm sticky coating over my palm and fingers. The wolf whimpered but didn't move. I moved around until I was at his back and ran my hands over him to check for other wounds. His huge chest expanded and deflated as he gasped each breath. A part of his chest was poking out oddly, and even from my inexperience I could tell his rib was broken.

"Oh Paul," I whispered, tears starting to pour down my face. He gave a long whine and I crouched down beside his head, stroking his beautiful silver fur. One large golden eye swiveled in my direction, its expression sad. Anger welled up inside of me. I know Jacob was trying to protect me but he didn't have to go this far. Paul whimpered and lifted his head a little, wincing slightly. I hushed him and put his head in my lap. It was heavy, but as long as it was more comfortable for him I could deal with it.

"Paul you need help. Some of your ribs are broken and you're bleeding all over the place," I said quietly, wiping my tears away and sniffling. He looked at me expectantly.

"What? I can't do it," I laughed. "But I know someone who can. Jathan is going to school to be a vet. He's still at my house, I can go—"

Paul cut me off by growling, and I must say it scared me a little even though I knew it was him.

"Don't be stubborn, Paul. You have to get your ribs cracked back into place or they won't heal properly." He growled more as I gathered some leaves as a makeshift pillow and gently slid his head off of my knees.

"I'll be right back, I promise!" I said, patting his head. He snorted and I could have sworn that he rolled his eyes, but it was hard to tell in the dim light.

"You poor puppy," I said sadly. I kissed his furry cheek and stood up, running as fast as I could back to my house to get help.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys let me know if it loads this chapter okay? Fanfiction is being retarded, yet again, and keeps uploading chapter nine. If you see this then you know you're about the read the brand spanking new chapter 10. If not**...**well don't yell at me it's not my fault. _ PLEASE let me know in a review or a PM if you guys see this okay? I'm doing my best to fix it.**

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**Chapter 10 **

"Jathan! Jay wake up!" I hissed quietly, shaking Jay's shoulder as he lay sleeping on the couch. He jumped up and rubbed his eyes, searching the room for any sign of danger.

"What's wrong, Ina?" he asked. I just grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door, giving him an explanation along the way. When we reached the clearing he stopped suddenly and sucked in a breath. Paul still lay in his wolf form on the ground, but two larger wolves stood beside him, protecting him. They growled when we first appeared.

"Hey guys, it's me, Ina," I said hurriedly, not wanting to get eaten. The smaller wolf with the white snout trotted over and licked my face, then rubbed its head against my shoulder. The large black wolf rolled its eyes and walked back into the forest. A few seconds later, Sam emerged, wearing only a pair of cut off jeans.

"Seth, lay off of her or Jake will have your head, too," he grumbled, crouching down beside Paul's heaving form. "How you feel, Paul?" he asked. Paul gave a long whine and lifted his head up to look at me. Seth nudged me toward him, so I guess he was asking for me. Jathan still stood in the shadows in shock, so Seth nudged him forward too. I walked over to Paul's head and petted him while Jay reluctantly gave him an examination. Paul took a deep breath and Seth snorted before walking into the forest to change into his human form. He jogged back, a huge grin on his face.

"Even getting his ass kicked by Jake can't keep Paul from fantasizing about you," he said, smiling at me.

"Paul!" I hissed, thumping him on the forehead. His eye rolled up to me as if to say, "What? It's not my fault." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, well, his shoulder is torn up pretty badly. It will probably need stitches. A few of his ribs are also broken, and will need to be rebroken and set back into place," Jay said finally, wiping his bloody hands on his jeans before standing up.

"If he can change back into a human we can take him to the hospit—"

"He can't, he's stuck," Seth interrupted, eyeing my brother curiously. "Stuck?" I asked. Seth nodded.

"Either he's being stubborn and doesn't want to turn back, or he's hurt too badly to move."

"He's probably hurt too badly to move. I would have done the same thing to him if he had gone after Emily," Sam growled, slapping Paul's side. Paul snarled and I jumped away from him, wide eyed. He immediately stopped growling and turned his head toward me with big, sad eyes and whimpered pitifully. I crawled back over to him and he licked my hand, then snuggled his head into my lap.

"Paul, if you're thinking anything bad I'll break the rest of your bones," I warned. He barked a laugh.

Jathan asked Sam to help him with Paul's ribs and Seth helped to hold him down. I petted his head soothingly and watched as Jathan directed Sam. A loud crack broke the silence and Paul howled miserably, his paws clawing the soft dirt beneath them in pain. I hugged his head as tears started pouring out and soaked into his fur. He panted heavily, eyes clenched shut. I felt horrible that I had caused this and couldn't do anything about it. I stroked his fur and tried to think of something , anything that would comfort him a little.

_Sister, you and I, Sister you and I,_ Jay's childhood voice sang in my head. I leaned down close to Paul's ear and started singing softly as the guys pushed his bones again.

_Brother, you and I_

_Brother, you and I_

_We'll sing our lullaby_

_Hush my dear_

He threw his head back in agony, snarling fiercely as another crack rang through the air. I sniffled back my tears and petted the side of his face, still singing quietly. I probably sounded like an alley cat in the night, but it seemed to calm him a little bit. His huge golden eye opened, rimmed with wetness, stared at me with such emotion I wanted to cry more. Stupid Jake! I didn't want him to be hurting this bad. A single punch would have sufficed for me. No, I didn't want him to hurt at all, it wasn't his fault after all. It was my stupid pheromones.

"One more time, Paul , and then we'll be done," Sam said tiredly. Paul didn't move, just took a deep breath and held it as they readied for another break. I hugged my body around Paul's head and clenched my eyes shut, holding him tightly as he snarled and pawed the ground. Soft fur was soon replaced by warm flesh, and when I opened my eyes Paul was human again. He carefully rolled onto his back and I kept my eyes glued to his face, not wanting to be exposed to his nakedness. His eyes were half shut as he looked at me, breath ragged and labored.

"Paul?" I squeaked, sniffling a little. He forced a slight grin and brought his hand up to my face, his thumb stroking my cheek lightly. "Thank…you," he panted. Seth glanced at us warily, then at Sam. Sam shook his head and Seth stood up, then ran into the woods.

"I'm going to go get some bandages and thread, okay? Ina, whatever you do don't look down," Jathan warned.

"Oh, I'm not," I said. Paul chuckled and licked his cracked lips. "Water?" he asked hopefully, his voice weak and raspy. Jathan nodded and headed off to the house. Sam got up and came back a few seconds later with a pair of shorts, the pair Seth had been wearing. Paul grunted and winced as Sam slid them up his legs.

"Can you lift up a little?" Sam asked. Paul growled and barely lifted his hips off the ground so Sam could slide the shorts up the rest of the way. I waited until I heard the zipper go up before glancing through my curtain of hair, relieved when I saw that Paul was now covered. His skin was glistening in a thin sheet of sweat, the area above his ribs heavily bruised. His shoulder was still bleeding profusely, so I used my teeth to help rip off my sleeve and pressed it against the wound. It was soaked in blood in seconds, but I thought that the pressure might help a little.

Jathan soon returned with an armful of supplies, and I moved to the top of Paul's head and helped him to sit up a little against me so they could wrap him up. He hissed as Jathan poured an antiseptic over his shoulder and gripped my hand tightly. Jathan pulled the bandaging tight and tied it so that it wouldn't come loose. I heard some crunching noises and Seth along with two other wolves appeared at the edge of the clearing. Sam nodded to them and they disappeared momentarily, returning in human form as Seth, Jared, and Quil.

"Paul you idiot! I can't believe you would do something stupid like that," Jared shouted, playfully smacking Paul's foot. He growled menacingly.

"Oo, but she does smell lovely," Quil said, sniffing the air. It was Sam's turn to growl this time and Quil held his hands in front of him in defense. "Don't worry, Sam. I'm not as stupid as Paul," he laughed. Paul snarled and snapped his hand out for Quil's leg, but Quil danced away and stuck his tongue out.

"So we taking this big baby to his house?" Seth asked. I bit my lip and thought for a moment.

"My house is closer, he can have my bed for the night," I said. They all 'ooo'-ed and punched each other playfully. I rolled my eyes and Jathan frowned.

"Where are you going to sleep? You just got over being sick," he said matter of factly. I shrugged.  
"I can sleep anywhere. I'm good like that," I answered with a smile. Jathan sighed and looked up at the sky with an I'm-going-to-regret-this face, then nodded. The wolf guys carefully picked Paul up and put him on their shoulders as they walked to my house, Paul grimacing every now and then when they fell out of step and jostled him. Jay opened the door and they stepped in, quietly so that they didn't wake my mom. They carried Paul to my room and set him down on the bed, then talked with Jathan for a little while before leaving. I pulled the blanket up around Paul and went to go get more blankets from the hallway closet so I could make a pallet in my bedroom floor. Paul watched me as I fluffed my pillow up and settled down.

"What?" I asked. He frowned.

"I can sleep on the floor. You should take your bed, it's more comfortable," he reasoned. I shook my head and smiled.

"Paul, you almost got killed. This is no time for chivalry."

"But—"

"It's fine! I told you I can crash anywhere. As long as you don't snore too loudly we won't have a problem."

He snorted and scooted closer to the side of the bed so he could get a better look at me on the floor.

"You know, you sound like a strangled ostrich when you sing," he smirked. I blushed at chucked a stuffed bear at his head, which he grabbed out of mid air and set behind him. He grinned and patted my head. "I'm just messing with you. It was actually really nice," he said quietly. I blushed even harder and hid my head under my blanket, mumbling a thanks. It was quiet for a while, so I peeked out from under the blanket and jumped when I saw Paul still staring at me.

"What?" I hissed. The right side of his mouth turned up into a grin and he held out his hand innocently.

"A handshake for thanks?" he asked, pouting.

"I don't trust you."

"Why not?" he scoffed, feigning hurt.

"Because you're Paul."

He rolled his eyes and kept his hand out. I poked my hand out and gingerly placed it into his own, shaking it slightly. He released it and smiled.

"See? You can trust me. I won't eat you. Or rape you in your sleep."

"Thanks for that, Paul, now I won't be able to sleep," I frowned. He chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"You can trust me, I promise. I've gotten used to your…smell now."

"So now I stink and I sing like a strangled ostrich?"

"No!" he laughed, smacking my hand playfully. "You actually smell delicious. It's like nothing you've ever smelled before, even better than a field full of the sweetest flowers. Even better than bacon, and you know how I love bacon."

"So I smell like bacon, stink, and—"

"Oh Ina shutup and take the compliment."

"…Fine," I grumbled, too tired to argue with him anymore. I rolled over and closed my eyes.

"Ina?"

"What Paul?" I said through clenched teeth.

"Are you going to sleep?"

"Yes, contrary to popular belief, we teenagers do like to get some sleep every now and then."

He paused for a moment.

"Will you sing to me again?"

I rolled over and glared at him.

"I only did that because you were in pain and I felt bad."

He frowned and looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

"But I'm hurting now. And _your_ boyfriend is the one who _dragged_ me off into the woods, as a _human_, mind you, and proceeded to _beat_ me half to death. He even told me that if I ever got near you again he'd kill me."

"He really said that?" I asked, frowning as I felt the anger building up again. Paul nodded, pouting like a two year old. "He can't tell you what to do," I grumbled. "You're MY friend too. You were my friend before he was."

"Exactly, so if I get killed for being here, it's your fault because you made me sleep in your bed. Will you sing to me now?" I groaned.

"Brother, you and I—"

"You're not singing it, you're just talking! And I can't hear you, come up here."

"Paul, you little—"

"Oh, my poor ribs! How badly they hurt!" he whined. I rolled my eyes and groaned, sitting up and moving closer to my bed. His eyes sparkled with laughter, or evil, as he said, "Come lay down with me, I'll only get sleepy if you sing it really close to me."

"Paul! Stop being a pervert!" I hissed, smacking his unhurt arm. He narrowed his eyes.

"If you don't I'll tell Jake about truth or dare," he said, his tone pure evil. I blanched, but wasn't going to take him up on his bluff.

"Paul, you idiot we were fourteen. It doesn't count."

"Oh, but you liked it. You really really really really—"

"FINE! You know what? I'm sick of you," I climbed into the bed and yanked the covers down, "and all of your stupid, manipulative mind games," I finshed, pulling the covers back up around me and glaring at him. He looked shocked.

"I was just kidding, I didn't think you'd actually do it," he said in awe. I narrowed my eyes at him and went to go get up again, but his iron arm latched around my waist and pulled my back down.

"Don't go," he pleaded, "I like having you here." I sighed and shook my head at him.

"Sing please? Like you did back there?" he begged, his big brown eyes soft and pleading.

"Only if you close your eyes and shutup," I grumbled. He smiled and closed his eyes, waiting for me to begin. I suddenly felt very nervous, but remembered what Jacob had said about imprints being able to hurt werewolves and felt a little better. I took a deep breath and began.

When the song was over, the smile was still plastered on Paul's face. I moved to get up, but both of his arms snaked around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I wiggled my arm free and banged a fist against his shoulder.

"Paul I know you're not asleep! Let me go!" I hissed.

"I am too," he mumbled, snuggling his head down against my neck. I groaned and pushed against him with all my strength, but he held on tight.

"Paul! Release me this instant or feel my wrath!"

"Ina, just shutup and go to sleep. You're tired, I'm tired, let's not argue just for tonight and enjoy each other's warmth," he mumbled, looking up at me with sleepy, hooded eyes. I gasped at how close he was and felt a blush creep across my face, but glared at him all the same.

"Please?" he asked quietly. Curse those puppy eyes. I sighed and flopped my head against the pillow.

"Paul."

"Hm?"

"I hate you."

"I love you too, baby."

I fet him smile against my skin and pull me closer. I wiggled an arm between us to protect my chest from being invaded upon and grudgingly settled down.

"You can trust me, I promise," Paul slurred, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Sure, sure," I grumbled. If he hadn't been my best friend for all my life he would have a broken nose by now. He took a deep breath and exhaled, tickling my skin. I waited for a long time to make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid, then hesitantly closed my eyes. I waited for a minute, then opened them quickly, but Paul was still wrapped tight around me, harmlessly snoring away. I sighed and closed my eyes. _It is kind of nice and warm_, I thought. Jake's saddened face flashed through my head and I angrily shook it away. _He is not my problem right now._

I woke up the next morning feeling overly warm and slightly sweaty. My body was screaming for cool air, but I didn't feel like getting up yet and settled for kicking the blankets off. I found that I couldn't move my legs because something warm and fleshy was wrapped around them. I cracked one eye opened and jumped when I saw Paul's peaceful, sleeping face right in front of me. I wiggled to get free but he just sighed and clamped his legs around me harder.

"Stop moving, Ina," he mumbled, touching the tip of his nose to mine. I rolled my eyes and shoved him as hard as I could, until the top half of his body finally flopped over onto his back. I glanced over at my alarm clock.

"Paul, it's eleven fourty-five."

"S'too early," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes before opening them. He smiled sleepily at me, and I hate to admit it but he was pretty darn beautiful with his hair all messed up and smiling cutely like that. I shook my head to get rid of the blasphemous thought.

"You look like a hot mess," he smirked. I rolled my eyes. "I mean it in a good way. Pretty sexy with your hair all messed up and your eyes looking tired."

"They only look tired because I was worried you would molest me all night," I grumbled, crossing my arms. He grinned.

"But I didn't. Told you that you could trust me."

"I still don't."

He chuckled and rolled over to me, pinching my thigh gently as he leaned his head up on his arm.

"What do you have against me, exactly?"

"Oh, I don't know, you're a pervert and molest me on a daily basis."

"Butt smacking is not molesting. It's a quick smack and then done, it's not like I'm squeezing your perfect cheeks and not letting go."

"You're sick!" I hissed. He just grinned.

"Crap," he said suddenly, getting up. He winced a little as he crawled off the bed and over to my window.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Your honey is coming and as much as I hate to say it because I sound like a wimp, I don't want to be caught here with you," he grimaced. I gave him an odd look and he chuckled, tapping his nose.

"I can smell him from a mile away." Ah, that explained it. He waved and opened the window, then crawled outside into the bright sunshine. Sunshine. Maybe it was a good omen.

"Will you be okay?" I asked, following him to the window. He smirked and grabbed my hand before placing a kiss on it. "No need to worry, fair lady. Jake can't kill me or Sam will kill him," he said,but I wasn't too reassured by that. He trotted out of my yard and into the direction of his house, holding his side as he jogged. I grimaced at the thought of facing Jacob and went to go lock the front door and warn Jay and Mom not to open it. Mom was out, her keys weren't on the counter, but Jay was still snoozing on the couch with one foot hanging off on the floor. It wasn't long before the doorbell rang. My heartbeat immediately sped up as adrenaline pumped through my body. Jay tumbled off the couch and looked at me with bleary eyes. I raised my finger to my lips to shush him. His face immediately became suspicious as Jake's muffled voice began speaking.

"Ina, open up! I know you're there. I wanted to see if you were feeling better," he said. Jay got up and came to stand beside me.

"Go away, Jacob, she doesn't want to see you," he said, using his angry, manly big brother voice. I smiled up at him. My silly brother was at least a half a foot shorter than Jake, but he sure as heck wasn't scared of him. I suddenly found that I admired his pig headedness.

"Why not?" Jake asked. I shook my head at Jay, not wanting Jake to know that I had seen Paul last night. Jay nodded and said, "She just doesn't. Go away."

"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do? She's my imprint!" Jake snarled. I flinched but Jathan stood his ground, his mouth forming a thin line.

"And she's my sister, my blood. Whether you like it or not, I do have more authority over her than you do," Jay answered, his voice deadly. I chose to ignore that authority bit and silently cheered him on. It was quiet outside the door for a few moments before we heard heavy footsteps walking away. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the door. Jay crouched down beside me, his face worried.

"Has he ever hurt you, Ina?" he asked carefully. I shook my head. "If he ever does, you'll let me know right? I won't stand for him hurting you, imprint or not."

I jumped as Jake's voice suddenly broke through the silence.

"I would never, _ever _hurt you, Ina Call," he said, his voice sounding broken.I had forgotten that I left my bedroom window open, and mentally smacked myself for it. I almost felt sorry for him, but the image of Paul writhing in pain as his ribs were rebroken flashed through my head and the anger boiled inside me. I stood up, hands balled into fists at my sides.

"Yeah, you won't hurt me but you'll take it out on my friends?" I growled. He looked confused.

"You almost killed Paul!" I shouted angrily. His face fell and he took a step closer. Jathan moved to stand in front of me but I stopped him.

"Jacob Black don't you dare touch me," I hissed. He looked like the world had just ended, his face drained of all color.

"Ina…Ina he _touched _you," he choked out. I shook my head.

"No he didn't. He might have kissed me, but he never touched me like that. I could have stopped him if I wanted to," I reasoned. If possible, he became even more pale and his shoulders started shaking slightly.

"You wanted him to touch you?" he asked.

"Whether I did or not is no longer your business," I said calmly. "It wasn't his fault for acting that way because my smell caused him to. Now please leave." I unlocked the door and held it open, holding my head up high and refusing to look at him.

"He was here wasn't he?" Jacob asked. I looked at him in shock before I remembered to keep my cool, but it was too late. Jacob was out the door and down the street in a flash.

"Oh no. Oh no no no no, he's going to kill Paul!" I shrieked, running out the door and down the sidewalk. Jathan called out my name but I ignored it and ran. My bare feet slapping against the pavement barely registered in my head, and finally I reached Paul's house and flung the door open. I heard yelling from Paul's room and ran down the hall. Jake had Paul by the throat, and neither of them noticed my prescence at the door.

"Why? I told you to stay away from her, she's my imprint dammit!" Jake hissed.

"Because," Paul panted, "because…I loved her first and you know it."

I gasped and covered my hand with my mouth, eyes widening to the point of pain. Jake's head whipped around to face me and he released Paul, who clutched his throat and coughed.

"Ina," he gasped, "Ina please…"

It didn't make sense. Paul loved me? Paul, who tortured and harassed me to no end, loved me, someone who had hated him.

"Ina, say something," Paul pleaded. My eyes flickered back and forth between him and Jake, fingers gripping the wall behind me for dear life.

"I don't…I don't know," I stammered.

"Don't know what, honey?" Jake said softly. I was so confused. Paul, my childhood friend, my protector for years and years, then my enemy, had just confessed his love to me. He was my _friend._ When did it happen? I wanted to know, but didn't want to at the same time. Last night had meant more to him than I thought it had.

"Ina?" Paul whispered.

"I don't know!" I shouted, running out of the house. I passed Jathan on the sidewalk but kept going, running straight into my house, into my room and locking the door behind me, then leaping over to my window to shut and lock it also. I crawled back into my bed, legs shaking, fingers trembling, and cried as Paul's scent enveloped me.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: "What did we do? What did he do? What'd he tell you?" Ahhh, only Alex Meraz could make such boring words sound so terribly sexy. XD Sorry about the last chapter, guys. Fanfiction was being DUMB and kept uploading chapter nine for some reason. I was braced for all the nasty reviews I'd get asking, "DOES SHE LOVE PAUL? WTF?" Heh, well you'll find out. I'm evil like that. :] Thanks to all you guys who reviewed! **

**SheEatsHearts: Wow, I didn't know bananas turned blue in UV light. But doesn't everything turn blue in UV light or is that a blacklight? O_o and your name is awesome!  
**

**96: You stole mah man! How dare he get married without me! Just kidding, I'd rather have Alex Meraz. Unfortunately he's also married. I JUST CAN'T WIN! -sob-**

**Eclipsia Black: You are awesome. I love your reviews, they make me grin from ear to ear, quite literally. :]**

**I really do appreciate everyone else who reviewed/alerted/favorited. I just don't have time to write everyone down right now, but thank you so very very much! Mucho loving to you! Mwah! **

**Do forgive any spelling mistakes and whatnot. I'm too lazy to go back and check it right now. Please enjoy! _  
**

**Chapter 11**

It all felt so strange, this love thing.

Paul loved me.

Paul loved _me. _

_Paul loved me. _

I wasn't sure if I should be happy about it, angry at him for deceiving me, or sad because I didn't know if I could ever love him like that. It was Paul for crying out loud! He was like my brother, my right hand man, my long lost twin of sorts. He had been there for me during the worst part of my life, he stuck with me through the gross puberty stage and still told me that I was beautiful every single day, he even still wanted to be friends with me even though I had shunned him for years because of the way he acted.

I didn't deserve his love. I didn't even deserve to be his friend.

He had taken a beating from my so-called boyfriend and still found a reason to smile at me about it. Granted, it was probably because I sounded like a strangled ostrich, but he still smiled. He always smiled, even when he was in pain, because he didn't want other people to feel bad for him. He might have acted tough but he was just a normal guy.

_Ina, you'll always be my bestest friend,_ the seven year old Paul had told me as we licked melting popscicles on his front porch. He had said something similar later on, when he was taller, more chiseled, and with a deeper voice.

_Paul smiled sadly at me and shrugged, hands in his pockets. "I guess it's okay if you don't want to be around me anymore. I guess I kinda deserve it. But you know I'm always here for you, because you'll always, always be my best friend." I nodded, fighting back tears as I turned around and walked away. _

Paul had given me everything, and had never asked for anything in return. I realized that I had been selfish when it came to him. As he grew older, he grew more confident and had started relating his feelings to me. I couldn't handle it. More tears came when I thought about the way that I had treated him, and he had loved me. He still did.

I heard a knock on my door and the handle turning, but of course it didn't open because it was locked.

"Sis?" Jathan's voice came floating in through the cracks.

"Mm?" I mumbled, not wanting him to know that I had been crying.

"Paul wants to see you. Can he come in?"

My heart jolted in my chest and I almost choked.

"S-sure," I answered weakly. I crawled out of bed, using my blanket as a cloak to hide my face and shuffled to the door to unlock it. It swung open slowly and I shuffled back to my bed and sat down.

"Sis, will you be okay?" Jathan asked. I nodded, peeking at him through a hole in the blanket. I bit my tongue as he moved aside to reveal Paul standing behind him, his face pale and gaunt looking. Jay nodded to him and Paul walked in, shutting the door behind him.

"Ina? Ina what are you thinking right now?" he asked quietly, coming to sit beside me on the bed. He gently tugged the blanket back and I let him, but bowed my head forward to hide my face with a curtain of hair. I sniffled quietly and kept my eyes on the floor as he tucked my hair behind my ear, gasping when he saw my puffy red eyes and tear streaked face.

"Aw baby," he sighed, pulling me to his chest. I choked as more tears started streaming down my face like a waterfall. He was too kind.

He pressed his lips to my head and wrapped both arms around me, rocking back and forth.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled. I pulled back a little and wiped my nose with my shirt, eyes flickering up to his face then back down to his chest. I grunted and started wiping the tears off of his skin but he caught my hand and held it gently.

"Don't worry about that, I'm here for you to cry on. Just tell me what's wrong, okay?"

My stomach felt like it was doing flips inside of me as I took a deep breath.

"I don't really know what's wrong," I said, my voice shaky. My eyes flickered back up to his face, and, of course, he smiled. He wiped my cheeks with his thumb, then looked at me, his eyes gentle but tortured at the same time.

"Your best friend slash enemy just said that he loved you?" he mused. I shrugged.

"That I guess, and my…imprinter guy almost killed you and looks pretty psycho right now and I don't know if I want to be with him if he keeps going postal like that."

Paul chuckled and shook his head.

"I feel like…like I should be with you," I said quietly. He raised an eyebrow at me in confusion, but looked slightly hopeful. I felt horrible that I was about to dash that hope. "It feels like it should be the most natural thing in the world to be with my childhood friend who knows everything about me. Get married, have kids, all that stuff."

"There's a but isn't there?" he asked sadly.

"Yeah there's a but," I sighed.

"Listen, Ina. You get to make your own choice. This imprint thing doesn't have to be what everyone is telling you. Nature intended it to go both ways, but what does nature know? If you don't want to be with Jake, you don't have to. I'm not saying this just because I want you to be with me. I think you should be free to make your own choice. Imprinting is stupid," he said, smiling a little. I scowled and nodded in agreement.

"But in Jake's defense," he continued, sighing, "he really is a good guy."

"But!"

Paul held a finger to my lips to silence me.

"Yeah, he did sort of beat the crap out of me, but it was because he was scared. He was worried that I hurt you, or touched you in some place secret. He did it because he loves you. I think imprinting is stupid, but at the same time it's the most amazing thing that could ever happen to someone. I feel horrible because of the amount of people that will have to just settle in life, and aren't able to find their soul mate, the person that is the perfect match for them. But he found his. He found you, and he's the luckiest bastard I've ever had the displeasure of being jealous of."

I snorted and shook my head.

"You're so weird Paul. You're not supposed to be trying to make me forgive him. You're supposed to be telling me bad things so that I'll fall in love with you," I giggled. He frowned.

"Why would I do that? Jake doesn't really have anything bad about him. I think the worst thing he's ever done is fall in love with Bella, but he's over that now. He loves you, and if I didn't see it with my own eyes I wouldn't be telling you this. He _imprinted _on you. I know that no matter what, no matter how angry he gets or how stupid he is sometimes, he will never ever hurt you. Ever," he said finally.

"And if he does," he added while clenching his teeth, "his ass is mine."

Dangit Paul, why do you have to be so amazing?

I sniffled and swatted his chest half heartedly, making him laugh.

"Hey, it's not the end of the world for me. I know that if this imprinting stuff didn't exist that you would most definitely be my chick," he said.

"Oh? What makes you think that?" I asked warily. He waved his hand in the air and smiled.

"Truth or dare wasn't a lie. I _know _you liked kissing me as much as I liked kissing you. The only reason you stopped being friends with me is because you were confused about your feelings, and my sexy ass visiting you every day was not helping you stay in friend mode," he chuckled.

Ah, arrogance. I remembered why I didn't like him in the first place. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You arrogant jerk."

He smiled and I sqwuaked as he picked me up and put me in his lap, then leaned back against my mattress with his hands on my back. He moved my legs so they were on either side of him and smiled.

"I quite like this position," he smirked. I scowled at him.

"What do you think you are doing, mister?" I hissed, struggling to get up. His grip tightened on my back and he pressed my chest against his. So not only was I in an awkward position with Paul, my butt was sticking up in the air. I was not about to lay on him though, no telling what dirty scheme he had brewing in that overly large head of his.

"I ask one thing of you before you go back to Jake. Kiss me?" he asked, his eyes sparkling playfully.

"WHY would I do that?" I growled, glaring at him.

"Please?" he whined, "Just this once. I've loved you my whole life and I've only kissed you once. I think I deserve something to remember with all the pain I'm going to go through because the girl I love is with one of my best friends." He pouted and gave me the eyes. Oh no, the eyes were not going to work this time. "Please? Just once? Just a friendly peck? My heart longs for you," he sighed dramatically.

"I think you getting to almost rape me will suffice for the rest of your pain filled existence. Now let me go."

"Awww, but I didn't get to kiss you on the lips."

"And you never will. Not without forcing me to anyway."

He pouted and turned his head to the side. "On the cheek then. I won't let you go until you do! And no one can interrupt us this time."

I rolled my eyes and glared at him before clamping my hand over his mouth for extra safety. My heart beat faster and faster as I leaned down, eyes glaring at his own.

I had almost reached his cheek when my hand was suddenly pulled away and his face turned so that I ended up kissing him after all. My eyes widened as his closed, and he flipped us onto our sides and pulled my right leg up around him, his scorching hand clamped around my thigh like a vice. He used his other hand to hold my neck so I couldn't get away and kissed me harder, with more passion than Jake had ever shown. Paul was just a passionate being, I realized, thinking back to all fits of anger and how he put his all into things he liked. I just laid there with my arms crossed and waited until he was done, ignoring the small part of me that actually liked it. So maybe I did have a teensy crush on Paul all my life, but I wasn't about to admit it. His reckless ways were a little more than I could handle, and I didn't want to sacrifice our friendship for something that was not guaranteed to work out.

He finally pulled back and sighed. "You promised me a kiss," he whined, looking at me sadly.

"And you promised that it would be on the cheek," I growled. He smirked.

"I never promised that. Just suggested it to get us started. Now come on, pucker up just this once."

"You've had your fun. Now let me go."

He pouted, then smiled as he raised his lips to my cheek.

"Believe it or not, I actually have experience with this kind of thing," he whispered, moving his lips to the other cheek.

"What, the experience of rape or being a manwhore?" I said smugly, glaring at him while willing my heart to stop throbbing uselessly. He kissed the right corner of my mouth gently, then the left, his warm breath tickling my skin. I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling to think of the worst things possible. Drowning puppies. People being killed in mudslides. Human centipedes. I shuddered at that thought and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force it out of my head. Curse Natalie for showing me the preview of that horrendous movie on her Ipod while we were on break one day. Apparently Paul mistook it as a shudder of pleasure, because I felt him smile against my skin.

"With a little bit of prodding—" he kissed the lower extreme of my bottom lip, "—I can get you to do whatever—" another kiss on the top lip, "—I want," he breathed, lips mere nanometers from mine. The heat from them was intense, and I mentally smacked myself for wanting to get closer. Against my better judgement, my eyes fluttered closed and I felt Paul's lips skim across mine. He unfolded one of my hands and pressed it to his chest, his heart beating rapidly under his flushed skin. My heart was beating at the same pace, although something inside of me screamed at me to stop. I decided to ignore it and pressed my mouth a little harder against him. He moaned and pressed my hand hard against his chest as he attacked my lips, forcing them open. I tried to abandon all thought but something wasn't right. His heated lips weren't the right shape, or size, or something, but whatever it was just didn't feel _right_. They were too hungry, too needy, too desperate. Paul took my bottom lip in between his teeth and sucked on it before pulling away from me, panting heavily. I opened my eyes and nearly flinched at how dark they were, at what feelings they held. He smirked and I blushed.

"That was…steamy," he panted, his eyes slowly returning to their normal caramel color. "But you're going to hate me for it."

I cocked an eyebrow at him in question and he jerked his head to the left. I looked over to see Jacob standing in the doorway, his mouth hanging open in shock and shoulders trembling. I scrambled away from Paul and braced myself against the wall, pulling the blanket up around me even though I was fully clothed. I felt utterly disgusting as I watched the emotion on his face flicker between anger, confusion, and extreme, desolate sadness. Paul leisurely got off the bed and stretched, then licked his lips. He walked over to Jake and patted him on the shoulder.

"Payback's a bitch," he hissed, throwing another smirk at me before walking out. Jake just stood there, eyes wide, mouth agape, and stared.

"J-Jacob," I stuttered, reaching an arm out to him as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Now I knew why something had not felt right, why something was nagging at the back of my mind, begging me to stop. Paul knew he was there, but didn't stop because he wanted to get Jacob back for what he did to him last night.

Jacob's mouth slowly closed and his expression became deadpan, devoid of all emotion as he continued to stare at me. I felt like his eyes were boring into my very soul, my horrible, disgusting soul.

"Jacob I—"

"I have nothing further to say to you," he said flatly, turning and walking out of my room. I heard Jathan yell something before the front door slammed.

It was then that I realized that I had cheated on my boyfriend. Maybe he did have anger issues and was a little overprotective, but his flaws were nothing compared to what I had done. I was the worst kind of person.

Sunday was spent by me laying in bed, punishing myself with silence so that I had to relive the experience over and over again. I vaguely remember Jathan coming in and asking me something, but I just pretended I was asleep. Mom brought in a bowl of soup a little while later and kissed my forehead, her beaming smile torturing me as she asked when Jacob was going to come over again. I rolled over and faced the wall, covering my head with a blanket to hide from her questions. After she left, I just stared at the bowl of soup and made sure I knew how good it smelled and how I deserved not to eat it.

Sleep was not an easy escape. I dreamed of Jacob's tortured expression all night long, and felt, if possible, even worse in the morning. I trudged into the bathroom to take a cold shower, yet another lame punishment, and walked back into my room to throw on whatever was clean. I skipped wearing a jacket and just grabbed my backpack and walked out, not bothering to say goodbye to my mother, who was sipping coffee at the kitchen counter. As soon as I walked outside a cold wind blasted through me and I shivered, gripping the straps of my backpack even tighter. The steel grey sky adequately reflected my mood. I thought about walking to school, but the thought of passing Paul's house sickened me, so I quickly unlocked my car and backed out of the driveway.

When I got to school I had to stomp on my brakes to keep from running over Leah. She stood in my usual parking spot with her arms crossed, an angry glare directed straight at me on her face. She moved aside so that I could pull in and then wrenched my door open and yanked me out by the arm.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she yelled, throwing me against the car.

"I thought you were different, Ina, I thought that maybe you could help Jake, love him even, but boy was I wrong. You're worse than scum, I can't even _begin_ to describe what piece of filthy trash you are. Whore doesn't even cover it," she shouted two inches from my face. I stayed quiet and soaked in her words.

"What, you don't even have the balls to take up for yourself? You're pathetic. Don't you ever come near Jake again, don't come near any of us, not even Embry, or I will personally see to it that you live the rest of your life in agony," she hissed through clenched teeth. I nodded and she stalked off. I knew I probably had a bruise from where I had been slammed against the car, but I ignored the pain and grabbed my backpack out of the car, halfheartedly slamming the door shut and walking up the hill to school. People were staring at me and whispering, but I looked at my feet and kept walking. I actually entered Mr. Sampson's class early for once, and he was as surprised as I was by it. He handed me a pile of papers and rambled something about make-up work before walking away and starting class. It seemed hours before the bell rang, and I shuffled to the next class without stopping by my locker. The next teacher also gave me a pile of work and sent me out in the hall. I just stared at it until the bell rang, which made my teacher quite angry, but I didn't care. On to the next class.

Lunch soon came up and I sat outside on a bench to rifle through some of my work. English would be easy enough to do, just had to answer some questions and write a few essays about _The Picture of Dorian Gray._ Math was impossible as usual, so I set it aside to work on later when I had my book. I actually laughed when I got to biology. _Compare and contrast the differences between the cells of a wolf and the cells of an oak tree._ I heard a cough behind me but ignored it until Embry came and sat on the bench beside me.

"Need some help?" he asked, pointing to the massive pile of papers I was holding down with a heavy rock. I shook my head.

"Paul is such an ass," he sighed, leaning back against the bench. I cocked an eyebrow at him in question. Embry never cursed, so it was weird to hear him say that.

"It was my fault," I mumbled, looking down at my lap.

"No, Paul had to egg it on like it was nobody's business. He thinks with the wrong head way too much," Embry growled. I wasn't surprised the whole pack knew about it already, just surprised that Embry was willing to take my side.

"Ina, I'm not mad at you. Paul basically forced you to kiss him, and he's been replaying it in his head over and over while Jake is in wolf form to mess with him. If anyone should be mad at someone, it should be at Paul," he explained. "Jake is really hurt—" my heart twinged painfully, "—but he's not mad at you. He's just afraid that something like what happened with Bella will happen again."

My heart thumped against my chest, making me cough, at the mention of Jacob's name. I felt even worse now that I was being compared to Bella. Bella, the girl I had despised for breaking Jacob's heart into a million pieces. I was the same as her.

Embry sighed and put his arm around me, giving me an awkward side hug.

"You're my cousin and I love you. I'll always be on your side, kay?" he said reassuringly. "Jeez, you're freezing!" he hissed. He quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around me.

"Em, I don't need this," I grumbled, fighting to take it off.

"You'll wear it and you'll like it. Be a good girl and do as I say," he commanded, smiling as he patted my head before walking off. I watched him go, his towering frame graceful even with all its bulk, and felt comforted. Embry had warmed me even without his jacket, and I was glad that he, if no one else, still believed in me.

The rest of the day was, in a way, boring. I didn't really pay attention in any of my classes, just sat there and stared at a speck on the wall, or a particularly nasty looking spot on the floor. The final bell finally rang and I went to my locker to get all of my school books to haul in my backpack, then trudged outside. I glanced hopefully at my car to see if Jacob was standing there, but he wasn't. I noticed a small crowd of people standing around my car and I pushed my way through them, then stopped in my tracks.

Someone had slashed all four of my tires and wrote "Bestiality" across both sides in big, red letters. I heard Embry's voice behind me as he shooed the people away, then came to stand beside me. He sniffed the air for a moment, then growled.

"It's Bella."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hoo hoo, three updates in a day, look at me go! I have nothing to do on the days I don't work beside eat, sleep, and do dishes every once in a while. So enjoy it while you can, because I have to work tomorrow and Friday! Boooo. :( But I get paid Friday so woot woot!  
**

**Slower Than Stampeding Turtles: I love your name. And I'd like to thank you for that particularly, um, colorful review you gave me. No seriously, I was laughing so hard I almost fell off my bed. The thought of Edward's face if he heard you say that Bella should do something disgusting to his "pruny, chalk white-" man junk almost killed me. You're great, please review more often! **

**Alyss Nightshade Black: BEST FRANNNNNN! -glomp- Yeah, I know I'm being mean to Ina, but it's all out of love and a wish for development between her and Jakey! Sorry about Leah, but you know how she is, jumping to conclusions. The guys don't really give a crap about it, they're more upset with Paul than Ina and just want the drama to be over with asap so that they can go back to being lovable jerks as always. :) Love joo! Thanks for reviewing even though you said you never would! I'm persuasive like that. ;D**

**To everyone else who reviewed/favorited/alerted: Thank you so super duper much!  
**

**One last thing, I've been thinking about making a Paul story, because (obviously) I have much love for Paul and it's threatening to ruin this Jacob centered story, so I need an outlet for my Paul loving (that sounds dirty O_o). I'll have to think up a plot and whatnot first, but hopefully I'll get it up soon so you guys can read it! :D I'm really excited about it, but it will probably be updated a little slower than this one. Anyway, I don't think you really care and just want to get to some Jake loving (lol it's fun to say that), so please enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

We left my car in the parking lot at school. Embry drove me home, muttering to himself the whole way. I jumped out and thanked him, but he grabbed my hand and looked at me seriously.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, okay?" he said. I nodded and he released me. I went straight to my room and tried to do my homework, but my head was too full.

What did Bella have against me?_ Other than the fact that I cheated on Jacob,_ I winced. Back at the football game, she had been trying to make Jacob phase so that I would see him, and not want him I guess. I wondered if she knew that I knew their secret already. And what exactly did she mean by, "bestiality?" Jacob was a werewolf, but he was still human nonetheless. It was better than being with some hard, cold, dead thing. I shuddered at the thought, and having thoroughly grossed myself out, went to go find a distraction.

Nothing good was on television. I didn't really feel like eating week old leftovers. My car was out of commission, so I had to find somewhere close enough to walk to. I grabbed my homework and decided to walk to the diner, at least there it wasn't so deadly silent. I shrugged my back pack on and stepped out the door, only to run into something hard. I looked up to see Paul's grinning face, and I frowned.

"Paul, what are you doing?" I said flatly, locking the door and walking past him. He quickly caught up to me and put his hands in his pockets, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"So do you hate me now?" he asked, his voice having a hint of glee to it. I ignored him and walked across the street, making sure to look both ways before I crossed. Stupid people (like Paul) thought that an empty street meant you could speed down it as fast as you could. I picked up my pace, tennis shoes slapping against the pavement loudly as I walked.

"Where you going?" Paul asked, jumping in front of me. I ducked my head and walked around him, but he grabbed my backpack to where all I could do was walk in place. I brought my fist down on his arm and he let go, but grabbed me with his other arm and spun me around to face him.

"Will you acknowledge my presence at least?" he growled. I glared at him and stomped on his foot, then walked away again. I wanted chocolate chip waffles, and I'll be darned if I let him keep me from getting them. Of course, he being the idiot he is, decided to stand in front of me again. I moved left and he stepped left. I dashed to the right and he just took one very large step to the right to block me again. So I did what any girl would do and then ran away as fast as I could. I heard him howling in pain and glanced back to see him curled up on the ground. I should probably feel bad about it. He may not have kids because of it. No little Paul's running around later in life. Did I feel bad?

Nah.

I ran as hard as possible with a thirty pound sack of crap on my back, and by the time I reached the diner I was ready to collapse. I ran in and locked the door behind me, then sank to the ground. Luckily there were only a few old people drinking their afternoon coffee inside. Nilly noticed me come in and hurried over while drying her hands on a towel.

"Ina! What's going on?" she asked, glancing out the door behind me.

"There's a child molester chasing me," I panted. Jim's head popped up from above the grill and he held up his cleaver in question. Something slammed against the door behind me and I winced, then tilted my head back. Paul was standing menacingly over me, fists clenched at his sides and his nostrils flared angrily (did nostrils get angry? Oh well). He was yelling something but I couldn't hear him due to the two inch thick plate glass that the door was made out of, a precaution Jim had suggested. He looked sort of funny standing there waving his arms and yelling, and for the first time in two days I laughed so hard I almost puked. The old people were giving me odd looks, but I couldn't stop laughing. Jim walked over to the door and held up his cleaver, one eye squinting while the other one stared at Paul so hard it looked like it was going to pop out. Nilly managed to drag me to a booth while I was still laughing hysterically and waved at Natalie to come over. Natalie popped her gum and brought a cup of hot chocolate with her, then scooted in beside me. I took a sip and finally calmed down, only having a fit of giggles every now and then. The lack of both sleep and food was taking a toll on my sanity.

"Did you get the—" Natalie waggled her eyebrows, "—_stuff?_"

She made it sound like it was some kind of drug deal. I nodded and blushed, but she merely giggled. She waved at Paul, who was now standing outside the window to my booth and staring at me, then blew him a kiss. He ignored her and kept his eyes on me. I smirked and flipped him off, which only set him off yelling and gesturing wildly once more. I chuckled, then whipped my head toward a plate that had been set down in front of me.

Steamy, golden, syrup smothered, chocolate chip loaded disks of sweet heaven lay in front of me.

I smirked at Paul and took a large bite, visibly savoring the taste. He gawked, a string of drool slowly sliding out of the corner of his mouth. He loved Nilly's chocolate chip waffles almost as much as I did. I quickly wolfed down the rest of my food and patted my now full and happy stomach. Nilly's pancakes were the best cure for sadness. One bite and all your cares melted away. When I was done Nilly whisked the plate away and quickly returned to the table, Natalie at her side.

"Shouldn't you be working?" I asked, glancing at the other customers. Natalie scoffed and waved her hand.

"They know where the coffee pot is. So, tell me, have you used your _gifts_ on that hunk of yours yet?" she whispered, raising her eyebrows. I grimaced as my heart gave an unhappy thump against my chest, reminding me that all was not well in the land of Ina.

"Um, well, we kind of broke up. I think," I mumbled. Both Natalie and Nilly gave dramatic gasps, their eyes wide in horror.

"What happened, dear?" Nilly asked while leaning forward. I glared at Paul and he glared right back.

"Excuse me for a sec," I said, grabbing my phone out of my pocket and flipping it open.

"_Em, Paul is being a creepy stalker. He followed me to Nilly's. Care to pick him up? Love, Ina, your favorite cousin."_

I cleared my throat uncomfortably and waited for Paul to go away. "Did he do something?" Natalie whispered, pointing to Paul. I shrugged, then noticed a pair of glowing eyes at the edge of the woods.

"What's that?" I asked loudly while pointing in the opposite direction. Everyone in the diner turned and looked, and I waved at who I assumed was Embry as he snatched Paul's shirt in his jaws and dragged him off into the forest before they all turned back around.

"What is what?" Jim asked, still looking in the direction I had pointed to while holding up his cleaver.

"Oh, nothing," I answered, aimlessly sipping my hot chocolate. The old people gave me more odd looks before returning to their previous conversations.

"Where did Paul go?" Natalie asked, a disappointed look on her face. I shrugged and took another sip. She sighed but turned back toward me.

"So what happened with you and bathroom boy?" she asked. I flinched and nearly choked on the hot chocolate. Nilly beat me on the back while I coughed into a napkin. The woman has quite an arm for being so old.

"I don't really want to talk about it," I mumbled, looking down at my lap. Nilly patted my hand and smiled.

"Don't worry, dear, I'm sure whatever it is will blow over soon enough. That boy looked at you like you were the prettiest little thing he had ever seen! I think he fell in love with you as soon as he laid eyes on you, so don't you worry your head over nothing," she said reassuringly. Unfortunately, it only made me feel worse. My momentary elation disappeared and was replaced once more by the desolate void that was my lack of a soul. Nilly didn't know how right she was. Even other people who knew nothing about imprinting or werewolves could tell how Jacob felt about me. I sunk low into the cushion behind me, willing myself to disappear into its fabric.

"Ugh, even if he doesn't you've got all those hot guys around you. I'm so jeal!" Natalie moaned.

"Gel?" I asked, wondering if there were also magical creatures made out of hair gel.

"Jeal as is jealous? Duh, get with the program, Ina," she scoffed. And she is supposed to be the older one. I rolled my eyes and pulled my homework out while the other two went back to work. It was a little easier working with all the hustle and bustle around me, folk music blaring out of the overhead speakers. I finished half of the pile of math homework and moved on to biology since it would be the easiest. Comparing animal and plant cells is probably the simplest thing to do in that class. After that, I had to read a whole chapter about cells but didn't really process it because I was getting tired. Oh well. I wasn't playing on being a microbiologist anyway. I moved on to English and managed to finish two essays before it got dark outside.

_At least all Dorian Gray had to worry about was staying young and beautiful. If Basil suddenly turned into a giant penguin or something I think he would waste no time in turning himself to a pile of ash,_ I mused. I sighed and closed my books, quickly stuffing them into my bag before leaving what I owed for my meal and an extra tip on the table. I hurried out before Nilly could question me, closing the door quietly behind me. The night air was quite chilly, and I hugged my arms around myself before walking in the direction of my house. I was halfway there, at the bend in the road where the trees get really thick and dark, when something white suddenly flashed in front of me. I paused, eyes flickering back and forth warily before I dismissed it as a figment of my imagination and kept going. A few moments later something blew past me fast enough to whip my hair into my face. I turned around to face it, eyes widened to catch any glimpse of light in the pitch black darkness.

"Boo," a smooth voice said quietly in my ear. I whipped around to see Bella standing in front of me, her pale skin glowing unnaturally in the darkness. She smiled and walked slowly in a circle around me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. _Vampire, predator, _my brain signaled, but I stood motionless and waited for her to stand at my front again. She finally ended her circumnavigation and stood with her arms crossed, smirking.

"That was some stunt you pulled today," I growled. She rolled her eyes.

"Glad you liked my artwork. I thought it would be fitting, considering you like being the bitch in a pack of mongrels," she answered, her voice like venom. I was a little scared but I wasn't going to let her know that.

"And you like boinking with a dead guy, but that doesn't mean I'm going to carve 'necromancy' into your forehead, although it does sound like a good idea," I said smoothly. She cocked an eyebrow at me and stepped closer, leaning in until her face was mere inches from mine.

"I'd _really _like to see you try," she hissed, her eyes swimming with crimson. I just stared back, trying not to blanch against the way her skin gave off an icy cold feeling. She was the exact opposite of the wolf pack. Where they were warm, soft, and expressive, she was ice-cold and hard, the only color in the entirety of her pale body being in the mix of crimson and gold in her eyes. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, whereas the guys showed every emotion they felt on their faces.

She smiled suddenly and took a few steps backward.

"I'd love to continue this little staring match of ours, but it looks like we have company," she laughed. I tensed as two huge wolves came to stand on either side of me, pressing their bodies against me and snarling at Bella. She waved and was gone in a flash, and the two wolves, one I recognized as Sam, took off after her. I gave in to my nerves and collapsed onto my knees, my hands shaking as I wrapped my arms around myself. I had just faced off with a vampire. My life could have ended right then and there.

Soft footsteps padded up next to me, and a cold, wet nose nudged my arm. I took a shaky breath and looked at the wolf beside me, hoping it was Jacob but being disappointed when I saw that it was Embry.

"Were you out patrolling?" I asked. He nodded his huge head and sat down beside me in the middle of the road, wrapping his tail around my shoulders. He stared at me, concern in his hazel eyes.

"I'm okay, I promise," I said, smiling weakly at him. He snorted and looked down the road toward my house, then back at me. "Alright, I'm going home," I grunted, using his shoulder as leverage to haul myself up. He jerked his head back at my house before walking into the cover of the trees, eyeing me as I began walking. I felt a little safer knowing that Embry was following me home, although it was kind of creepy to feel like I'm being watched and not being able to see anyone (or anything). I unlocked the door and made my way inside.

"Hi honey! How was school?" my mom asked from her seat on the sofa. I shrugged.

"It was school," I answered. She smiled and began watching _Desperate Housewives_ again.

I wasn't surprised to see the giant cast of a wolf head outside my window. I opened it to see Embry sitting outside. He glanced back at me and huffed, then stood up and shut my window with his huge paw. I reopened it, a thought suddenly occurring to me.

"Embry, was it you that sat at my window every night a few weeks ago?" I asked. He shook his head, then turned towards the woods and perked his ears. A second wolf stalked out of the trees, but I couldn't tell who it was until it got closer. It stood tall in front of Embry, glaring down at him with dark brown eyes, its russet colored fur waving in the wind. Embry gave a wolf shrug and looked back at me curiously. When I didn't say anything he huffed and walked off, heading towards the forest.

Jacob stared at me for a moment before turning his back to me and lying down in the grass. I had never seen him like this up close, and momentarily forgot about what had happened as I climbed out of the window. He turned his head toward me, and I could feel his muscles tensing as I ran a hand along his back. His fur was soft and thick under my fingers, and I gazed at him in wide eyed wonder as I petted him. He was silent, merely staring at my face as I ran my hands through his fur and grabbed fistfuls. I buried my face in it and inhaled deeply, taking in his warm, spicy scent. I jumped when I felt him nudge me with his nose. He gave a low whine, his eyes sad as he looked at me. I was entranced by his eyes, so oddly human even surrounded by fur. I could see Jacob underneath the fur and the fangs, his tanned skin and beautiful face, cropped black hair and soulful brown eyes. Eyes too kind and loving for what I had done to him.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," I choked, crawling backward to his window. He whined again and got up, walking slowly towards me and pinning me against the wall with his nose. It wasn't the wolf I saw before me, it was Jacob Black, the man. He trapped me with both hands on the sides of my face and just stared, his big brown eyes pleading in agony.

"What should I do?" I whispered to him. He continued looking at me with that hurt expression.

"What do you think you should do?" his voice asked. He took my hand in both of his and pressed it in against his chest.

"You still do this to me," his voice whispered, sounding distant and airy as if it were a dream. His heart pounded against his chest as he stepped closer to me, hands still holding my own against his heated skin.

"Ina," he breathed, "I still love you." His tortured eyes never left mine as he leaned in closer, his expression gentle and loving. "Please just…just wait for me. I'm a little confused."

I closed my eyes, silent tears streaming down my face, and when I opened them the wolf was standing in front of me again. He stared at me intently, and I nodded, hoping that what had just happened wasn't a dream. He leaned forward and rubbed his cheek against my face before he turned, his eyes lingering on me for a moment before he laid down and faced the woods.

I crawled back into my room and shut the window, leaving it unlocked incase he needed to get in. I gazed at him longingly, my heart feeling as heavy as lead inside my chest and my stomach sick with regret. I was a fool for trusting Paul when I knew I shouldn't have. I was stupid for actually giving in to his wanton manipulation. And I was weak for not fighting him tooth and nail.

A part of me believed that Paul was right, that I could fight the imprint and make my own choices. But I knew that what I was feeling was not something I would have felt for any other crush. Forget butterflies, when Jake was close it felt like there was a horde of battling dragons inside of me, but that feeling immediately dissolved when he looked at me and gave me one his heartbreakingly beautiful smiles. I felt everything that he felt. Right now he was heartbroken and confused, and I regretted every single second of every day of pain that he had gone through because of my stupidity.

I realized the anger I felt toward him for almost killing Paul was no longer there. I imagine I would have done the same thing to say, Bella, if I had walked in on her pinning Jake to a bed and biting him. Although it would have been a lot worse if Bella bit Jake. I shuddered to think of what possibilities lay in the future if that could have happened. I understood him a little better now, but knew it wasn't good enough.

I noticed that I had been looking right into Jake's eyes the whole time I had been thinking. He gazed at me with a curious expression in his eyes, and if I didn't know better I could have sworn that he said, "_go_ _to sleep_." I nodded at him and went to go crawl under my blanket, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I woke up the next morning feeling well rested and not having remembered any dreams. I hit my blaring alarm clock and shuffled over to the window. Jake was gone, but the grass was crushed where he had lain, so I knew that I wasn't dreaming about that. I took a quick shower and got dressed before walking into the kitchen, where some delicious odor was wafting through the air. I walked in just in time to see my mother pulling a pan of muffins out of the oven.

"Oh, Ina! You're awake!" she chirped, waving at me with an oven mitten covered hand. She poured two glasses of orange juice and waved at me to come over and sit down on the stool beside her. She popped two muffins out of the pan and set them on a plate in front of me, then took a sip of her orange juice and smiled.

"Feeling better today?" she asked. I shrugged, wondering how she knew I felt bad in the first place. She gave me her I-birthed-you-I-know-what's-going-on look. "Embry called and told me about what happened to your car. He said he'd pick you up and bring you home from school, so you'd better eat up quick and go wait for him.

I nodded and bit into a warm muffin. Mm, chocolate.

"I know it's about _that time," _my mom said, suggestively waggling her eyebrows. I almost snorted muffin out of my nose.

"Mom that's gross!" I laughed, throwing a piece of muffin at her. She smiled and threw it back before going to refill her glass. "Well, I just know how you get during _that time._ You're the same as me. Cranky, chocolate crazed, and moody beyond all help," she chuckled. I rolled my eyes and went to go grab my backpack and a few extra muffins for Embry. I stepped outside, books in one hand and muffin filled napkin in the other. Embry's rusty pick-up soon rolled in front of my house, and he sniffed the air curiously as I got in. I opened the napkin and his eyes went wide.

"Muffinsssssssss," he hissed, similar to how Jafar from Aladdin sounded when he found treasure. He immediately stuffed three in his mouth and then put the truck in gear, chewing noisily as he drove. By the time we reached the school all twelve muffins were devoured with no crumbs left. I stared at Embry in awe. Those were not the tiny little muffins you bought in packages from vending machines, they were pretty big!

"What?" he mumbled, blushing.

"Where does it go?" I asked, patting his chiseled stomach. He grinned and held up his arms.

"Ammo for the guns, cuz."

I snorted and got out, then started walking with Embry up to the school. I noticed my car missing and asked him about it. He gave an evil smirk and I got a little worried.

"The guys took it late last night. They're going to fix it up for you," he replied, chuckling a little.

Oh yeah, I was definitely worried. No telling what they would do to it. By the time I got it back it would probably painted bright green with purple flames going down the side, with twenty four inch rims or something ridiculous like that.

School went relatively well. I turned the homework I had completed and took my spot at the bench outside to work on it some more during lunch. Embry and Seth brought me some chicken strips and French fries, but ate more of them than I did. Turns out that Seth is a secret math wizard. I gaped as he rambled on about the difference between one function and another, when and when not to use certain formulas, and why the crap 'e' was called a number. He finished with a satisfied look on his face and leaned back, crossing his arms. With his help every now and then, I managed to complete my math homework before lunch was over.

"How are you so good at math?" I gawked. He smirked, walking with his hands behind his head and reveling in the attention he was receiving.

"My dad used to teach me calculus when I was in junior high. He loved math," Seth answered, his face turning sad. I patted his shoulder in sympathy and he nodded, smiling a little.

The rest of the day passed quickly, thankfully. I met Embry by my locker and we walked outside, the cool autumn air blasting us in the face. I shivered and clutched my books tighter against me, while Embry merely chuckled.

"There are advantages to having this _condition_," he said. We walked down the hill but didn't make it to his truck because a huge black motorcycle rumbled up in front of us. Jake sat atop it like a king on his throne. He nodded to Embry, then looked at me and tapped the seat behind him. I just stood there and drooled for a moment. Overly tight black shirt. Dark jeans. Combat boots.

_I am not allowed to think he is sexy, I am not allowed to think he is sexy,_ I told myself over and over as I walked up to the bike.

"Care to go for a ride?" he asked, his expression guarded.

"S-sure," I gulped, swinging my left leg over to the other side.

"Don't burn your leg on the muffler," he warned. I looked down to see what he was talking about and nearly fell off as he revved up the engine and took off. I flung my arms around his torso and hung on for dear life as he sped down the highway, the wind whipping my hair around me and biting into my skin like a thousand icy needles. I hugged closer to Jake's warm body even though it felt kind of awkward with my legs around him, but it was no time to feel awkward. Jake was actually talking to me and letting me touch him, maybe he had forgiven me a little. Although I was cold, the feeling of speeding down the road with the wind thrashing around us was exhilarating, to say the least. If even for just this moment, it felt nice to be with Jake. I closed my eyes and snuggled my face in between his shoulder blades, gripping my arms tighter around him.

_This _is what felt right. _This _is the feeling my heart had been searching for when I was kissing Paul.

It thumped in agreement, seeming to be happy that I had finally stopped being so stupid.

When I felt like I couldn't move an inch because I was so frozen, Jake slowed down and pulled off the road and onto a trail leading into the woods. The bike bounced and threatened to fall over, but he carefully guided it along until we reached the edge of an open meadow. He turned the bike off and looked back at me.

"I think I'm stuck," I mumbled against his shirt. He chuckled and helped to detach me from himself before flipping around to face me.

"We need to talk," he said. I nodded hurriedly, teeth chattering preventing me from speaking. I couldn't tell if it was from nerves or cold, probably a mix of both. He took my hand in his and winced.

"Jeez, you're cold. I forget how easy it is for you humans to freeze to death," he grumbled. He randomly just stripped off his shirt and pressed my hands to his chest, hissing at the cold from them.

I nearly died of happiness.

He tugged at the sleeves of my thin jacket at took it off, then tried to go for my shirt too.

"W-w-whoa! What are you doing?" I stuttered, clamping my numb hands down over his to prevent him from pulling my shirt up. He smirked.

"Survival one oh one, you'll get warmer faster if you take your clothes off," he reasoned. I twitched at the thought of being shirtless next to that perfectly toned hunk of…perfectness. I shook my head quickly and he rolled his eyes.

"So Paul gets to make out with you, but I don't even get to see you shirtless?" he teased, a little bit of jealousy giving an edge to his joke. I frowned and looked down at the seat between us to hide my blush.

"I'm sorry, that was a low blow," he mumbled.

"N-no, I d-deserved it," I said in return. My muscles were trembling insanely from the cold, and my teeth were chattering so hard I thought they would fall right out of my mouth. Jake noticed and gently pulled me to him, his bare skin searing my icy fingers with its warmth. I sighed and tucked my face into his neck while he wrapped his arms around my back.

"Don't worry, I'll warm you right up," he whispered, rubbing my back in smooth circles. I shivered at the deepened octave of his voice and pressed my hands to his chest. It felt comforting to be held by him, natural. I closed my eyes and relished in his warmth, his scent, the way his skin felt against my face and fingers. I bit back a gasp as he flicked his hands under my shirt and continued rubbing my back. After a while, I finally stopped trembling enough to speak coherently.

"I'm better now," I mumbled. "Thank you."

He sighed and I reluctantly pulled away from him, immediately missing his warmth. He held my jacket to himself for a moment to warm it up, then wrapped it around me along with his shirt. He leaned back against the oil tank and smiled grimly.

"You ready?" he asked.

I nodded and braced myself for the uncomfortable conversation that lay ahead.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: First of all I'd like to say that AH AM TIRED! It's currently 3:28 AM. The things I do for you guys, jeez. -rolls eyes- Just kidding, I do it because I love you. So, I had a funny earlier. I was sitting on my bed in my Domo-kun beanie (because I'm cold natured and my house is always freezing) and work shirt (because I got off early)**, **going off to a friend about wolf spit. "IT'S MAH WULFF SPEET!" I yelled like a drunken foot, I mean fool (dang typos), because it seems someone stole my magical powers of wolf spit idea. I was a tad miffed at first, but was soon reduced to a fit of giggles stage of tiredness. I have now reached the I-feel-like-I'm-going-to-puke-if-I-don't-sleep stage, but I don't think you really care. You just want your Jake loving. Jerks. -sniffle- Just kidding. Does anyone else's cat have spaz attacks in their sleep? Mine has these random twitchy fits. I freaked out and thought she was having a seizure the first time I saw it, but she does it regularly and only when she sleeps. :/**

**MySoCalledGothSide: Dude, I totally know what you mean by staying up reading fanfiction until way past 5 AM. I'm happy that my story is actually good enough for someone to do that, although I am sad that you missed out on your sleep. Do try to sleep more, or you will develop unhealthy sleeping habits, like myself. DX The story will still be there in the morning, I promise!**

**12: No don't rip your soul into a billion pieces! I promise it will be okay! **

**kiki: You are awesome. You review lots. Here, have a digi-cookie! **

**To everyone else, you know you're awesome, no need for me to tell you. I was slightly frightened by the amount of cursing at Paul and Bella I got, but happy nonetheless. I'm sorry this chapter is crap. T_T I blame my burning eyeballs. Thanks so much guys! I talk too much. T_T  
**

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**Chapter 13**

Jacob and I stared at each other for a moment, each waiting for the other to begin. The dragons were flying around in my belly, but it wasn't because I was particularly enamored by Jacob's perfectly sculpted body lying in front of me.

Okay maybe just a little. There was one love dragon to every four oh-crap-he's-going-to-kick-your-butt dragons. I probably sound a little crazy. I promise I'm not. I think. Crazy people don't know they're crazy, so maybe I really am crazy and everyone but me knows it and—

"So…want to start by telling me what happened from your point of view?" Jacob said, interrupting my train wreck of thought. I shook my head to clear it, then pulled my jacket tighter around me. I took a deep breath and asked, "Where do you want me to start?"

He thought for a moment.

"Start with Friday night after you got home," he said finally.

I told him about Paul knocking on my window and borrowing some shorts, then trying to almost rape me before he (Jacob) jumped in and saved the day. I told him that I got worried after we got off the phone because I had seen him drag Paul off as a human while he was in wolf form, and then about me finding Paul and being mad at him for nearly killing the guy. His face fell harder the more I talked, and when I got to the part about giving Paul my bed for the night he started shaking.

"You let a guy that almost raped you sleep in your bed? In the same room?" he gasped in disbelief. I nodded grimly, not wanting to tell him that I had actually slept in the same bed as said almost-rapist, but did anyway. His face grew angry and he slid off the bike to pace back and forth over the dried, yellow grass.

"He guilt tripped me into it, but it was my own stupid fault for actually lying down beside him, because then he wouldn't let go so I had to sleep with him. I blame myself for being an idiot, but I didn't think too much of it because we used to sleep together all the time when we were kids," I mumbled, watching his feet. He stopped suddenly and laughed, then shook his head.

"A few things have changed since you were kids. They're called hormones, ever heard of them?" he snapped. I flinched and he smacked himself.

"I'm sorry, that was dumb. Of course you wouldn't think anything of sleeping with your childhood friend," he grumbled, beginning his pacing again. I took another breath and then went on about the next day, how I walked in just I time to hear Paul say that he loved me.

"I was really confused," I said. He stopped pacing again and stared at me, trying to guard his expression but I could see the pain in his eyes.

"Do you love Paul?" he asked, his voice shaking.

I was taken aback by the question, but immediately knew the answer.

"No," I said, "I mean I do as a friend, but nothing more. I had a crush on him all my life, but when my feelings got too strong for me to handle I stopped being friends with him. I knew that we wouldn't be right for each other even though we're so similar at times. He's just…" I trailed off, looking for the right words.

"Just Paul," Jacob answered for me, flashing a tight smile. I smiled and nodded.

"Right."

I went on to explain how the rest of the day played out, with Paul saying that I didn't have to be with my imprinter, but then taking up for Jacob and telling me he was a good guy. He winced when I got to the part about Paul grabbing me and moving his face so that I kissed him flat on the mouth instead of on the cheek. His shoulders trembled and he took a few deep breaths to calm himself, mumbling things I could barely hear. I caught the words, "ass," "imprint," and "kill," which did not sound like he was thinking of taking an enjoyable walk in the park while sipping sweet tea or something.

"Then he said that he wanted a real kiss, from me to him. I said no, that he had his fun, but then he said he could make me do whatever he wanted. Which he did, I guess, because I found myself wanting to kiss him too. I guess…I was just mad and confused and…stupid," I finished lamely.

"You're not stupid," Jacob mumbled. I shrugged.

"Stupidity is in the eye of the beholder," I reasoned. He snorted.

"That's _beauty_, you goofball," he corrected, coming to sit down on the bike again. He gazed off into the distance for a while, staring at nothing in particular. After a few minutes he sighed and looked down at the grass, then back at me.

"So basically what it all boils down to is if you're in love with Paul," he said, his eyes narrowed against the sunlight filtering in through the clouds. I frowned.

"I told you I didn't," I replied.

"Yeah, but it sort of seems that way. I understand, you guys have been friends forever, it's only natural that you love him. Me coming along and imprinting on you shouldn't change that. Maybe you should go on a few dates with him to sort your feelings out and see if he's what you want."

"But—"

He held up his hand to silence me.

"If you find that you are in love with him, I'll leave you alone and just be your friend. I will sacrifice my feelings as long as I get to see you happy. Like I said, an imprint doesn't have to be a lover."

He stared at me with a determined look in his eyes, like he was willing himself not to love me. I felt my heart break into a million tiny pieces as I looked at him.

He is good, too good for someone like me to be with. I don't understand how someone so innately perfect could have imprinted on me. I am nobody, just another girl on a reservation in Washington that does nothing important, doesn't really have any friends, and has no particular dreams or goals. Jacob is a protector, he saves so many lives and gets no thanks for it but does it anyway. He is sunshine, he is smiling, and beautiful, and pure and just _good._

"Ina, why are you crying?" Jacob's voice asked, floating through the fog of my brain. I looked up at him in confusion and touched my face to find that it was wet and cold from tears. I sniffed and quickly wiped them away, looking down in embarrassment.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently, tipping my face up with his finger. I shook my head, not trusting my voice to say anything. He sighed and hugged me, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"Whatever you decide, I'm always here for you. You'll always be my Ina," he whispered. He pressed a warm kiss against my forehead and turned around, starting the bike back up. I tried to give him his shirt back but he smiled and shook his head.

"You keep it," he said over his shoulder. I nodded and removed my jacket so I could put it on over my clothes, worried that it would fly away if I just held on to it. He waited until I was holding on to him to set off.

I pressed my fingers into his skin to keep them warm as we flew down the road once more. My cheek rested against his back, tears steaming against his overheated flesh. I felt empty inside, like a big hole had been blasted through me and was letting the freezing wind blow through it. I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew that whatever it was could not be without Jake.

We soon reached my house and I finally realized how silly we probably looked. A big, buff, shirtless guy driving some weeping girl around with him on a motorcycle when it was negative five million degrees outside (yes, it is possible to beat absolute zero. Don't question). I swung my leg over the seat and got off.

"You sure you don't need this?" I asked, tugging on his shirt. He smiled.

"You keep it as something to remember me by," he answered. I blushed and nodded, and he drove off. I watched him until he got to the end of the street, then looked back at my house. I didn't really feel like being interrogated by my mother, who was most likely peeking out the window, so I walked down the sidewalk instead. When I got to Paul's house I stood in front of it for a moment, debating whether or not to go talk to him. I didn't have much time to think, however, as the door suddenly opened and out stalked an angry Paul.

"We need to talk," he hissed, clamping his hand around my arm in an iron grip and dragging me into his house. He threw me down on the couch and stood with his arms crossed, fuming.

"What the hell did you mean by kicking me in the balls?" he growled.

"You wouldn't move," I said, shrugging.

He set off ranting and I just picked at my fingernails until he was done. I heard him panting heavily and looked up to see him slumped against the wall.

"Were you even listening?" he asked. I pretended to think about it.

"Nope," I said honestly. He sighed and flopped his head back against the wall. I bit my lip and thought for a moment.

"Jake says I should go on a date with you to sort out my feelings," I said finally. His head snapped up and he looked at me in amusement.

"I was wondering why you stunk like him," he mused. "So, you _do _have feelings for me then?"

He crawled closer and set his chin on my knee, looking up at me. I shrugged, not knowing what to say. He smiled widely and climbed up beside me on the couch, then bumped his shoulder against mine.

"Come on, I don't bite," he chuckled.

"I bet to differ, sir," I said, pulling the collar of my shirts down to reveal the bruise he had left right under my collar bone.

"It was only that one time!" he said defensively. "And I wasn't in my right mind."

"I don't think you're ever in your right mind."

He scoffed and bumped his shoulder against me again, then smiled and leaned in close. My heart skipped a beat and I gulped, waiting for him to try something.

"Only around you," he whispered in my ear.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him away. It was odd how he could go from angry to flirt in point five seconds flat. I thought about what Jake had said, about dating Paul to sort my feelings out. I wasn't sure if there were any feelings other than lust, I supposed, because I only seemed attracted to Paul when he was close. I didn't really think about it any other time.

He was incredibly handsome, that I couldn't deny. Tall and muscular, caramel colored eyes with flecks of dark brown and gold, high cheekbones, perfect lips, Paul had always been beautiful. I studied his face intently, but only felt a slight fluttering in my stomach that was nothing compared to the rampaging dragons Jake made me feel. I stared into his eyes, searching for some kind of answer. I saw lust, most definitely, a raw hunger that tinted his irises and made the dark brown stand out even more. I saw confusion, uncertainty as he leaned in a little closer and tilted his head to the right, eyes flickering down to my lips.

"Paul?" I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I just need to see something real quick," I breathed, closing the distance between us. He was shocked at first but soon started moving his lips against my own. My heart raced in my chest as he gently pushed me down to the couch and raised my arms above my head, then skimmed his searing hands down my sides. His lips were soft and so hot I almost couldn't stand it, it seemed his body heat intensified the more he got into it. The kiss was as hungry and desperate as the one before, but the feeling was still the same. It still didn't feel like it was _right_. It felt like an empty promise, a lie, something that was driven by pure desire and nothing more.

We jumped as the front door opened and heard something crashing to the ground. Paul quickly got off and smoothed his clothes out, then looked at me and grinned.

"Oh my," said Mrs. Meraz, a quirky smile on her face. She picked up the grocery bags she had dropped and scuttled into the kitchen, grinning like a demented Cheshire cat. I think her dreams just came true.

Paul took my hand and stood up, bringing me with him. He squeezed my waist and pulled me against him, nuzzling my neck for a moment before nipping my earlobe. I blushed to my very toes and tensed up.

"Want to take this somewhere more private?" he whispered huskily. I had to think quickly to get out of it without hurting his feelings, since I was the one that initiated it. It hit me and I wanted to laugh, and felt quite evil for it.

"Paul how many girls have you done this to?" I asked, feigning contempt. He pulled back, his eyes wide and mouth agape.

"I, uh, w-why do you ask that?" he stammered.

I crossed my arms.

"Before you told me that you had experience with this kind of thing, and just now you were…too good," I hissed, emphasizing the 'too.' He flinched and rubbed the back of his head, his tanned face turning red.

"Well, uh, I've never done it with anyone, I was saving that for us," he mumbled quietly.

_Aww,_ the inner romantic in me said. _Shutup, the guy's a walking penis. Jake, however…_, the imprint side griped. I felt a little bad but cocked an eyebrow at him.

"So how many have you made out with?" I asked. He thought for a moment, then started counting on his fingers. When he ran out of fingers I stomped out of the house in pretend anger.

"Ina! Baby, wait, none of them meant anything!" he cried, following me out of the house. "None of them are as good as you!"

I whipped around to face him and tried to look as angry as I could.

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that before!" I yelled, stalking off toward my house. He grabbed my elbow but I jerked it out of his grasp and kept walking. He followed me all the way to my door, which I slammed in his face. I dusted my hands off and walked to my room, where he was standing at the window with his puppy dog eyes. I closed the blinds and pulled my jacket off before flopping into bed.

"Honey, is everything all right?" my mom asked as she poked her head into my room. I sighed miserably and said, "Yeah, just peachy." She sat down on my bed and looked at me.

"Mom, I don't want to have another sex talk, okay?" I warned, sitting up and leaning against the wall. She laughed and smacked my leg playfully.

"I was just thinking about how grown up you are. You've got a boyfriend and you're almost ready to graduate, soon I'll be left in this house all by myself," she sniffled.

"Aw, Mom don't cry," I said. Whenever my mom cried, I started crying too. Not to mention the PMS that amplified each emotion tenfold. She sniffled some more and wiped her face, then gave me a watery smile.

"I hope you and that Jacob get along well. He seems like a nice boy."

I bit my lip to keep from flinching and patted her back, giving her my best smile.

"We will, Mom. We will."

I groaned and picked up my phone for the twentieth time in an hour.

"_Ina why won't you talk to me? We can work this out, I just want to be with you."_

"_Hello? Please don't be mad at me, it was all in the past. Do you hate me?"_

"_Dammit girl, pick up your damn phone!"_

I rolled my eyes and turned my phone off, glaring at my clock as it flickered, showing the time to be 12:05 AM. "He is so dead tomorrow," I grumbled, stuffing the pillow over my head.

I woke up the next morning to someone shaking me violently.

"Ina. Ina! Honey you're going to be late! Embry is waiting for you," my mom said. I shot up and looked around confusedly, cursing Paul for keeping me up so late. I took a five second shower and scrubbed my teeth before quickly getting dressed, grabbing my backpack, and running out the door. I nearly tripped on the bottom step and flung myself into Embry's truck, panting heavily.

"The drowned rat look is a bit of a change," Embry chuckled.

I glared at him the whole way to school.

Embry pulled into a parking spot and put the truck in park, then dug around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out some sort of shapeless, floppy thing. He jammed it over my head with a satisfied look on his face.

"There," he said smugly. I looked into the mirror and realized he had put an overly large beanie on my head. I looked like a homie.

"Um, thanks Em," I said, adjusting it slightly. He beamed and got out of the truck, so I grabbed my bag and opened the door.

"Ina, look what I did was stupid and immature and—"

How did Paul get over here so fast? Oh, right. Wolf skills.

I shoved past him and ran to catch up with Embry, holding the hat up so it didn't fall down over my eyes. I hadn't taken two steps when Paul was in front of me again, his face slightly pale looking.

"Look, Paul I need to think about some things before I talk to you again, kay?" I said quietly. He nodded and looked at the ground, releasing my arms.

"I'm not mad at you for what you did," I whispered. He shrugged.

"But you still have to decide between me and Jake, right?" he said. My voice caught in my throat and I nodded. He sighed and scratched his head, then let his arm flop down to his side.

"I'm not stupid, Ina. I know you were just experimenting. At first I thought…I thought maybe that you actually wanted to kiss me. I wanted it so bad I…I…" he trailed off, looking somewhere past my shoulder. I turned around to see Jake walking toward us and felt my heart immediately start to pick up its pace. I turned back around to Paul, sadness creeping into his expression. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, closing his eyes for a moment before looking back down at me.

"I'll talk to you after school, okay?" he said, giving me a weak smile. I nodded once and he waved to Jake, then walked away. I stared after him and tried not to cry. Of course Paul knew I had been lying to him. I think that hurt him worse than the truth, and I mentally beat myself over the head with a brick for it.

"You okay?" Jake asked hesitantly from beside me. I shrugged and looked up at him.

Big mistake.

Instantly I was drawn into his warm, chocolatey eyes, and my heart thumped hard against my chest in longing. I wanted nothing more than to put my hand against his smooth, chiseled cheek and just stare into his eyes for hours on end, to possibly take a look into his heart and see if there was room for me in there. His lips moved but I didn't hear anything except the beating of my own heart. It felt like it was trying to tell me something but I didn't know what it was.

A warm hand covered my forehead and I finally inhaled, having not realized I was holding my breath.

"You feeling sick today? You're kind of spacing out," Jake asked. He looked concerned but I shook my head and said, "I'm okay." I grinned and almost passed out on the spot when he gave me one of his killer smiles in return. He took a deep breath and thought for a moment, eyebrows scrunching together, then finally grinned.

"Psst!" he whispered, leaning in close. "Want to skip class and go eat breakfast with me?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, the left corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. Near death experience because of Jake's cuteness number two. If I ever have a heart attack, let the paramedics know that it is entirely his fault, okay?

"I don't know, I've already missed a lot of school," I mumbled, looking at my feet. He huffed.

"Oh come on, it's just this one time. We'll be back by second period, so no worries! Let's go." Before I could say anything he grabbed my hand and set off for his motorcycle. He pulled me along like some kind of rag doll, and I had to jog to keep up with his huge strides or just flop in the wind helplessly. He planted me on the back seat and climbed into the front, revving up the engine before setting off. _Men and their testosterone and engines_, I thought, rolling my eyes. Paul was soon forgotten as we sped along the road. I managed to get up enough courage to detach myself from Jake a little and sat up, looking around me in wonder. The cold air stung my eyes and threatened to blow off the hat Embry had given me, but it felt wonderful. There is nothing more freeing that racing down a strip of asphalt with the wind at your face. I giggled like a schoolgirl and held on tight when Jake suddenly hit the gas, making us jump forward along the road.

Of course we went to Nilly's, seeing how it was the only decent (and I mean only) food place in town. I got off the bike and felt a little wobbly, but on an incredible high. Jake smiled and held out his arm for me to take so I wouldn't fall over, then guided us into the diner. Nilly gave me a knowing smile as she brought some menus over.

"The usual, dear?" she asked, looking at me. I nodded.

"Chocolate chip waffles with extra hot syrup coming right up," she murmured. "And for you, sir?"

Jake glanced over the menu in confusion. "Um…are the waffles good?" he asked. I gasped in horror and clutched my hand to my chest dramatically.

"You've never had them?" I managed to squeak out. He shook his head, amused at my reaction.

"Well good gravy, woman, get this man some waffles!" I teased, pretending to smack my fork down on the table in dismay. Nilly chuckled and winked at me before going to make our food, not even bothering to ask us why we weren't in school. She's good like that.

"These must be some pretty amazing waffles to have you so worked up about them, huh?" Jake asked, his eyes sparkling with laughter. My eyes widened and I shook my head at him.

"You don't even know," I answered in a low voice.

Nilly had the waffles ready in a jiffy, and set a huge pile before both of us. They steamed most deliciously in the fluorescent light, and I made sure to drench Jake's in as much syrup as mine. He went to go take a bite but I stopped him.

"Wait, grasshopper. First you must appreciate the waffles. Inhale—" I took a deep sniff, "—and exhale. Now watch as they steam elegantly. Their outsides crispy and golden, the insides soft and warm. Waft their scent towards your unworthy nostrils. Are you wafting? You're not wafting! Waft, I say!" I hissed, fanning in Jake's direction. He rolled his eyes and took a deep sniff, then continued to stare at me in amusement. Oh, he thought I was being theatrical. Ha, how wrong he is, poor fellow of never eating such delicious waffles.

"I'm kinda hungry," he grumbled, smirking. I put a finger to his lips and felt a tingle shoot up my arm.

"Silence, grasshopper. Now stare for a moment longer. Inhale once more. Now you may eat," I ordered wisely. I watched him with anticipation, dancing in my seat as he took the first bite.

His face went completely blank for a moment, then looked at me in wide eyed wonder as if heaven had just exploded inside his mouth and angels were singing in the background.

Oh yeah.

"It's like…" he mumbled.

"Yeah!" I said, nodding my head enthusiastically.

"They're so…"

"Mmmhmm!"

"_Good_," he sighed, staring down at his place with overflowing affection. I chuckled and dug into my own plate.

"Paul and I used to have waffle wars over who could eat more," I said between chewing. I noticed his face just barely twitch and paused, feeling the horror wash over me as I interrupted our heavenly waffle bliss with outside drama. He suddenly smiled and leaned closer.

"Don't tell me you ever won," he smirked, giving a judgmental glance at my stomach. I scoffed.

"Puh-lease, I was the reigning waffle queen, and don't let him tell you any different," I said, waving my fork threateningly at him. We ate until we were stuffed, well I did anyway. Jake ate all of his plate then the rest of mine before eagerly looking around for more. I threw a piece of napkin at him and giggled.

"You pig," I snorted. He smiled sheepishly, and I noticed he had a bit of syrup on his cheek. I told him so and he blushed and scrubbed his face with a napkin.

"Is it gone?" he asked worriedly. I shook my head, staring at the offending drop of syrup. It was only offensive because it was making Jake uncomfortable. I sighed and dabbed a napkin against the condensation on my glass of milk, then stood up to lean over the table so I could reach him better. He watched my hand while I wiped it off, then looked back at my face with big eyes and eyebrows scrunched together. I was overwhelmed by his cuteness.

"You're adorable," I sighed without meaning to. His face broke into a radiant smile and I threw the napkin at him smugly as he chuckled. He absolutely refused to let me pay, but I snuck a few extra dollars on the table for tip when he had his back turned. He turned to me as he opened the door and I smiled innocently while skipping out.

We made it back to school in no time and raced up the hill to get to second period, because we being the horrible children we were had skipped class. I was about to open the door to the office when he grabbed my hand and pulled me behind a pole.

"Wait, I don't want to go in yet," he said, glancing at the office doors.

"Well, we kind of have to unless you want to get counted absent for a whole day," I reasoned, looking up at him.

"I wouldn't mind," he smiled, and I smacked his arm playfully. He pretended to be hurt and hissed, rubbing his arm while glaring at me with narrowed eyes. The sun suddenly broke through the clouds and shined on him, caressing his features with a warm light. I momentarily misplaced my brain as I gawked at him. He squinted at the sun, then back at me and smiled. The light seemed to fuse inside his eyes as streaks of amber and intense emerald glittered radiantly in the foreground of his chocolate irises, emphasized by the deep russet color of his skin. My heart skipped a beat as his arms skimmed up to my shoulders. His face grew serious as he looked deep into my eyes and leaned in slightly, pausing in question. I glanced at his parted lips in longing, then closed my eyes and leaned in a little. He closed the distance, pressing his warm, soft lips against me.

They were just right, not too warm and tasting of sweet maple syrup. His kiss wasn't hurried or desperate, just slow and sweet and loving. I felt my body lean into him and wrapped my hands around the back of his neck, fingers grazing against his hairline as he placed a hand on my lower back and gently pushed me against him. I found what I had been missing before, what I had not realized was there.

I felt love in Jake's kisses.

It was gentle but intense, like a slow burning fire that was eventually all consuming. I felt my heart humming in appreciation, and new that _this_ was right. I smiled against his lips and he returned it. We kissed once more before he leaned his forehead against mine and sighed. I giggled uncontrollably, and felt happiness radiating out of me like sunshine.

"What?" he laughed, pulling away to look at my smiling face.

"Oh, you know," I giggled.

"Know what?" he mused, bending down to look at my eyes. I smiled widely and kissed the tip of his nose.

"That you've made me fall in love with you. It's irreparable. I think there will be permanent damage. Therapy may be neede—"

I was cut off by him picking me up into a bear hug and swinging me around while laughing loudly. He finally set me back on my feet and grabbed my face, giving me another one of his slow burning kisses before grabbing my hand.

"We're late," he said. I shrugged and pulled him forward, walking hand in hand into the office.

I floated through the rest of the day as if in a dream. I ran into a few people on accident but just mumbled an apology and kept going, a goofy smile plastered across my face. When lunch came, Jake, Embry, Seth, Jared, and Quil came outside to sit with me on the bench (and steal my French fries). I caught Embry beaming at me every now and then and raised an eyebrow at him in question. He shook his head and continued smiling.

"Dude, you're totally falling for him. I saw you run into a wall and then apologize to it earlier," Quil teased, munching on a fry. I blushed and glanced at Jake, who shot me a sweet smile.

"Yeah," Seth interjected, "I don't know what Paul was thinking, trying to mack on someone else's imprint."

It suddenly grew quiet, tension rippling through the air.

"Um, yeah well I kind of don't blame him. She smells pretty damn tasty," Jared said, breaking the silence. The guys all gave a mutual long sniff and sighed, looking at me with pouting faces. I held up a spork in defense.

"Dare and you will feel the wrath of my almighty spork," I warned. They laughed and threw fries at me, which I dodged not so expertly. Lunch soon ended in a fry fight, and we all trekked back into school covered in salt and grease. The rest of the day floated by as much as the first part had, and I walked out of school feeling better than I had in a while.

That feeling soon ended, however, as I noticed Paul leaning against Embry's truck with a scowl on his face. The happiness quickly faded when his eyes caught mine and he glared. I jumped when I felt something being pushed into my hand, and noticed Jared's spiky haired head waving in front of me as he walked down the hill. I looked down to see a crumpled piece of paper, and when I opened it I wanted to laugh.

_Remember, payback is a bitch. Welcome to the pack. _

I smiled and tucked it into my pocket for extra encouragement, then walked down the hill to where Paul stood waiting.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I know, I know, you hate me because I left you hanging for like, four days. I'm sorry. T_T I had a bit of writer's block and I lose interest when that happens, so I've had to make myself write. I got a little easier the more I got into it, and I've thought about what's going to happen next so it should be a tad easier from here on out. **

**Sophisticated Nonsense: I hope you're not in the hospital for anything bad! (meaning I hope you work there or something and aren't injured/sick) If you are, then I hope you feel better soon! And please don't apologize for rambling, I love it when people ramble because then they give nice long reviews. :)**

**timesarose: The first thing they teach you in chemistry is to waft, because if you take a big sniff you might die or melt your trachea or burn the lining out of your lungs. :) lol. So Ina told Jake to waft so that he wouldn't suffer from waffle overdose. That is some serious stuff. No kidding. **

**I have newbs! Thanks to Forever Blonde, Sunny xxxx, and Twilightno1fan2009 for reviewing! And also to 96 (you little man stealer, you!), corbsxx, and kiki for being faithful and returning reviewers! **

**This chapter has lots of Jakey loving, so do enjoy. ;) And if you enjoy, please review! :D **

**Thanks to everyone else who favorited/alerted/reviewed. You guys make my day!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

I took a deep breath before I reached Embry's truck, where Paul stood waiting. I walked up beside him, but he acted like he didn't know I was there as he stared angrily into the distance. I swallowed quickly and patted his shoulder. He kept looking forward, only grunting in reply to show that he knew I was there.

"Want to take a walk?" I asked quietly. He huffed and started walking out of the parking lot, and I had to run to catch up with him. Stupid wolf guys and their tallness. He didn't slow down though, making me keep up to his furious pace until we were far out of sight from the school. He slowed down once we hit the open road, then turned to look at me.

"I wish you would have given me a chance," he said quietly, anger edging his voice. He took a deep breath and looked down at the ground, kicking the asphalt with his shoe for a moment before he spoke again.

"I could make you happy too, you know. Imprinting isn't all that. It's not like something you read in a sappy romance novel or a chick flick or something. You know Emily, right? Those scars on her face? Sam did that. He got mad and phased too closely to her. And Leah? Yeah she was in love with Sam, then he went and imprinted on Emily and look who got hurt. It's stupid," he growled, yelling the last part. He walked even faster and I had to run to keep up with him.

"But you said it's the most amazing thing that could ever happen to a person," I panted. He stopped suddenly and I had to backtrack.

"Maybe to someone who imprints. But those of us without an imprint, or who are in love with another's imprint, it's horrible."

His expression was empty, lonely. He stared at the vacant horizon like a lost man, one who doesn't know where he's going or where he came from, only knows that he is. I touched his arm softly, trying not to startle him but to give him comfort at the same time. He looked down at my hand in surprise, like he had forgotten I was there. His eyes flickered to the ground and then slowly back up to my eyes, taking in my appearance. I blushed uncomfortably but stared back at him, trying to convey that I wasn't backing down. It seemed like he saw something he didn't like because he snorted in disgust and turned his back to me, crossing his arms.

"Don't look at me like that," he hissed.

"Like what?" I asked, confused.

"Like you pity me. I hate that."

I paused for a moment, trying not to let my anger take over me. I wanted to yell at him and tell him that it was not my fault that I got imprinted on, it wasn't even Jake's fault, and that if anyone he should blame himself for falling in love with me in the first place. I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering my thoughts.

"Paul, I don't pity you. I don't pity you because I know that one day you'll meet someone more beautiful than I could ever hope to be, who will be at your every beck and call and will love you unconditionally, not because you imprinted on her, but because you're an amazing guy. She'll be your world, and little ol' me will just be the crappy music in the background."

He snorted and said, "Not possible."

I walked around to his front and stared him down. His face was still, blank and carefully controlled. It unnerved me a little, it was the same feeling I had when I was around Bella, like I knew there was something unnatural standing directly in front of me.

"Paul, you know it's true," I reasoned. He sighed and looked down at me like I was crazy.

"How can I forget you when you've been my best friend, who I've loved, for basically my whole life?"

I smiled.

"Maybe so, but I'll be less than chopped liver compared to your imprint."

He sighed again and looked up at the sky with his hands out in front of him and mouthed, "why me?" I smacked his arm and he grinned, tugging on his hair sheepishly. My phone started ringing "We Are Family," Embry's tone. What? I liked giving everyone their personal ringtone. Don't judge. I flipped the phone open and stuck it to my ear.

"Yes dear," I sighed.

"Um, Ina?"

"In the flesh, uh, voice."

"Where are you?"

I told him where I was and that I was with Paul. He said he would come pick us up, a hint of worry evident in his tone. I closed the phone and stuck it back in my pocket. Paul was gazing out at the horizon again, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Em said he'd come pick us up and take us home," I told him. He shrugged, scuffing the dirt with the toe of his shoe.

"I think I'm going to go run for a little bit," he mumbled. I was confused until he started unlacing his shoes. "Drop these at my house, will you?" he asked. I nodded and took them from him. He waved and walked off toward the trees, hands in his pockets. He soon disappeared, but I watched as a silver streak flew through the trees a few moments later.

I started walking back toward the school, hugging Paul's shoes to my chest and hunching my back against the cold. Embry came racing up not too long after Paul left, Jared, Seth, Brady and Collin in tow.

"So you weren't, like, doing it with Paul or something because if you were we'd be really mad at y—"

"Jared."

"What?"

"Shutup," I growled, chucking a shoe at his head. He caught it expertly and grinned. Embry honked the horn and I stuck my tongue out at him, immediately regretting it as I ate my hair. The wind blew hard and cold, chilling me to the bone. Oh yeah, winter is coming all right. I wiped my hair out of my face and went to go get in the truck. I closed the door behind me and buckled my seat belt, then looked expectantly at Embry. He was staring straight forward, mumbling something to himself.

"We going, Em?" I asked, poking his shoulder. He winced and kept mumbling, clamping his eyes shut.

"Em? Embry? Embear?" I called, poking him annoyingly. His head suddenly snapped in my direction and I gasped at how dark they were.

"You're my cousin and this is freaking weird," he grunted through clenched teeth. I suddenly noticed the still and utter quiet besides the whistling of the wind through the cracks. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I slowly turned my head to see Jared, Seth, Collin, and Brady with their faces pressed against the back window, their heavy breath fogging the window as they panted. I reached for the door, hand shaking as I slowly opened it. It clicked open finally and I looked at Embry.

"Run," he said. I was gone.

I screamed as I ran at break neck speed down the highway, pumping my tiny legs furiously as I was chased by a pack of aroused wolf men. They hooted and called after me, and I knew they were merely enjoying themselves by snapping at my heels playfully. Compared to their full speed, I was a turtle that had been drugged with Tylenol PM.

"JAAAAAAKE! JAAAAAKE!" I screamed, hoping that he would somehow find me even though that was not possible. My lungs felt like deflated balloons in my chest and my legs like lead. I knew I was going to go down soon, but I was not going without a fight. I glanced behind me to see Jared grinning wildly, his canine teeth greatly enlarged since the last time I had looked back. The others were the same, their darkened eyes twinkling with the thrill of the chase. I was happy to see that Embry at least had managed to control himself, and was trying to get around them without actually running them over.

"Ina, I'm sorry!" he shouted over the noise of pounding feet and gasping breath. I just screamed again in answer and thought up new tactics, including zigzagging across the road (which only made them laugh) and playing dead, but then I remembered that only worked on bears. After a while (like two minutes), I was on my hands and knees gasping for air as the pack surrounded me, giggling like hyenas.

"Well, well, well boys, looks like our scared little rabbit finally gave up," Jared cackled. The others howled in unision. I glared at them, my limbs refusing to move.

"Touch me, and you die," I said between gasps.

They laughed.

"I'm serious," I continued, somehow managing to stand up. My legs shook underneath me but I tried to look strong in the face of gang rape. "When Jake, you know, my IMPRINTER gets here, he is not going to be a happy camper. If you even dare to lay a finger on me, your whole arm is going to get ripped off. Not to mention you'll be castrated, thrown into a wood chipper, cremated, and then spat upon for good measure."

They laughed again and punched each other playfully.

"Fine, don't believe me," I warned, pretending to pick at my fingernails. Jared suddenly rushed forward at inhuman speed and grabbed my face forcefully, yanking it up so that I had to look him in the face. I have never been so terrified in my entire life. His eyes were nearly black they were so dark, and his fangs poked out from behind his lips like a peek at the horror that was to come.

"Just a reminder from your friendly neighborhood wolf that you're up for grabs until you mate with your imprint," he chuckled. I gulped and glanced around. The other guys were also closing in, their faces contorted into hideous looking grins.

"I'm Jake's imprint, so I'm his and his only," I said with shaky breath. Jared smirked.

"No, not reall—"

"DAMN STRAIGHT SHE IS!" I heard someone shout before Jared's face was being pummeled into the asphalt. The other guys stood wide eyed and still, and I noticed they were slowly becoming more normal looking. I looked up to see Jake standing in front of me, his great chest heaving with each angry breath that he took. Miracles do happen!

I reminded myself that I needed to pray more often.

Jake took a step closer, his huge muscles bulging as he drew himself up to his full height. Even I was a little intimidated, and I wasn't even the one in trouble. He drew me gently to his chest, bulging biceps surrounding me as he growled at the others. I glanced down to see Jared fully KO'ed on the concrete, his face one big, bloody scrape. I winced and gulped, hoping that he would be okay even though he had almost raped me. Seth was shaking in his shoes, and Brady was so pale he could have been a white kid. Collin looked ready to pee in his pants. That would be something funny to see.

"_**Leave,**_" Jake said. His voice was deep and rang with authority, reaching a timbre too low for a human but not quite a wolfish growl. I watched as the other guys' faces became blank, and they stood up and jerkily started walking away like a bunch of puppets. Jake's chest vibrated with a low growl as he watched them leave.

"Thank you so very very much," I sighed, knees buckling underneath me. He caught me and deftly swung me up into his arms, eyes boring into mine with heavy concern.

"Are you okay? Did they touch you?" he asked, pain in his voice. I shook my head and smiled at him.

"Nope, you saved the day yet again."

I nearly fainted from the breathtaking smile he gave me. The sun suddenly burst through the clouds and encircled his head in a halo of light as he smiled. I looked up at the sky and grinned.

"Yes, God. I get the point now," I mumbled quietly.

"What was that?" Jake asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Dawww, could he be any more adorable? I shook my head and gave him a small peck on the cheek, then hugged my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest.

"I should save you more often if I get repaid like this," he chuckled. He nodded to Embry before trotting off in the direction of the woods.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I know a shortcut to your house," he replied, smiling down at me.

"Oh, so you've been creeping on me in your spare time?" I teased.

"Perhaps just a little."

The ride to my house was pretty smooth, not bouncy like I had expected it to be. The cold was soon forgotten as I snuggled up against Jake's warm chest. I felt myself drifting off a little, but was sadly awakened soon after because we had reached my house. I grumbled as Jake set me on my feet and walked me to my door. I frowned.

"What?" he chuckled. I squinted at him.

"I was just getting to sleep," I mumbled. He laughed and mussed my hair before pulling me into a giant hug. He pulled back and bit his lip, looking thougtful for a moment. I stared at his lips. So plump and red and talking…oh wait, maybe I should listen.

"—can come over later if you want?" he said hesitantly. I nodded and his face broke into the biggest grin I'd seen yet. He captured my face in both of his hands and kissed me happily. I felt like I was going to melt, but luckily he pulled away before I was a complete pile of goo at his feet.

"I love you," he breathed, looking directly at me. I swooned, my face probably turning an interesting shade of red. He chuckled and waved as he trotted down the steps and down the sidewalk, glancing at me over his shoulder once. I stood there for a moment, smiling like a fool. I managed to collect myself enough to open up the door and walk inside, only to be startled by a pile of what I can only describe as fluff on the couch.

"Mom?" I asked, digging through the blankets until I found my mother's face.

"Hello dear!" she said cheerily. "How was school?"

"Mom why are you dressed as an amoeba?"

She giggled and moved to sit up straight, struggling for a moment before an arm shot of out the folds with a piece of paper. I took and realized it was cut out from the pages of a phonebook.

"Sam's Home Repair? Is something broken?" I asked. She nodded gleefully and I worried that her head would snap off at any moment.

"The heater."

Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Not the heater! Not my beloved source of warmth and comfort!

I glanced down at the paper worriedly and then back at Mom.

"And you're happy about this because?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Because it means our house will be filled with sexy men!" she shouted happily, throwing her fist in the air. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Mom really needed to get remarried. I told her so.

"Why on earth would I do something like that when I could be single and play the field?" she answered, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Mom that's gross!" I hissed, covering her face back up with the blanket. I stomped out of the living room and went into my room. I decided to work on homework, but realized I had left my backpack in Embry's truck. So I groaned and flopped onto my bed, deciding that if nothing else, YouTube would keep me occupied. After a while I started feeling the cold seeping in through my clothes and poking at my skin with icy fingers. I tunneled under my blanket, bringing my computer with me. At least inside the house I was protected from the wind, but it was still pretty chilly.

After hours and hours of gut wrenching laughter, a delicious aroma wafted in through the cracks in my door and I poked my head out of the blanket to sniff.

"Ahh, fooood," I sighed, sticking my feet out and shuffling to the door. A blast of warm air kissed my exposed skin and I immediately dropped the blanket, then walked into the kitchen. Spread out before me was a tasty looking buffet of glistening ham, steaming mashed potatoes, vegetables, and buttery rolls. I inhaled deeply, my eyes rolling back in my head in ecstasy.

"What's the occasion, Mom?" I asked, reaching to grab a roll. She smacked my hand and smiled devilishly. Uh oh, she was up to something.

"Well, I thought that maybe you could invite that boyfriend of yours over for dinner," she said lightly while sliding a pecan pie into the oven. I drooled for a moment before the words sunk in.

"Jake over for dinner? Uh, sure. I think he'd like that," I said, smiling. Of course he'd want to come over for dinner. I just worried that there wasn't enough. I thought about not eating as much so he could have more, but instantly denounced the idea. It wasn't often that Mom cooked like this, and I was going to stuff myself silly before the night was over. She giggled and stuck her oven mitts back on the hook over the stove.

"I invited your brother, too," she said. My happiness took a fall and I slumped against the counter in defeat. This is not going to end well. She shushed me and told me to call Jacob, so I retreated into the confines of my cold room to where my phone was. After a half a ring, Jake picked up.

"Hello?" he breathed. His voice was sweet heaven to my ears, and I paused for a moment, cheeks heating up.

"Hello? Ina? You there?" he asked. I nodded, phone clutched to my ear like my life depended on it. "Are you nodding? I can't see you, silly goose." He chuckled as I cleared my throat.

"Um, yeah. I'm here," I mumbled. Why had I not noticed how sexy his voice sounded before? Oh, right, because I was too focused on his appearance to notice much else. He laughed again.

"So you were nodding. I ask yet again, do I make you nervous Ina Call?" he inquired, making his voice deep and husky and oh so delicious sounding.

"No," I squeaked in reply. I cursed at my puny girl voice and cleared my throat again. "No," I said more clearly.

"Oh, really?" he asked doubtingly. I pinched myself repeatedly and bit my lip, nodding furiously.

"Yes, really. Nothing you do phases me, Jacob Black."

He snorted.

"We'll see about that tonight."

I twitched and I bet he could sense it because his voice lost the deepness as he said, "I mean, not like that!"

"Like what?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"Oh, um, nothing," he said quickly.

"Nice save. Pervert."

He started protesting nervously, and I could just envision his blushing cheeks and arms waving around in the air to make his point.

"So you want to come over for dinner?" I interrupted. He immediately stopped his barrage of words and squealed like a little girl.

"Really?"

"Yes, real—"

"I'll be right over!" _click._ I stared at my phone, dumfounded. In what seemed like seconds later the doorbell rang and I rushed to open it.

"Hey sis," Jathan said, kissing the top of my head as he walked by. I frowned in disappointment and shut the door, then stalked over to the couch and flopped down. "Geez, what kind of greeting is that? You know, 'hello big brother!' or something equally endearing would be nice," he teased. I just stared at the floor. He rolled his eyes and walked over to chat with Mom. After hours and hours of waiting (three minutes), the doorbell rang again and I leaped across the room and almost tore the door off its hinges.

It was Paul.

"Hey," he said flatly, waving a little.

"Hey," I answered, sighing. He looked a little confused. All traces of confusion left his face as he sniffed the air curiously, then swallowed.

"Um, do you have my shoes?" he asked, trying to peer around my head to see what was inside. I smacked my palm against my forehead and groaned.

"Gah, Paul, I'm so sorry! I left them in Embry's truck because they got all weird and I had to run for my life and then Jake brought me home," I said hurriedly. He frowned, his face getting the vacant look it had earlier.

"So you don't have them."

"No, I'm really sorry!"

"It's okay," he mumbled, sticking his hands into his pockets and turning to leave. "See you around, then."

"Bye Paul," I said softly, watching him walk down the sidewalk barefooted. The sky was dark, the in between blue-gray and black color of twilight. A chill wind swept across the porch and I shivered, closing the door behind me and leaning my forehead against it. I hated seeing Paul with that look, the look that made him seem as empty and lifeless as a corpse. In his eyes were nothing, as if he had put on a thick, opaque mask that hid his true identity. He was no longer Paul, my giddy, hyper, over protective Paul, but some kind of emotionless shell. And I had caused it. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing myself not to cry.

"Who was that, honey?" Mom asked.

"Just Paul," I replied, my voice flat and monotone. Jathan's attention perked up at that.

"Oh, how is he doing? Those ribs giving him any trouble?" he asked curiously. I shrugged.

"He's okay, I guess."

He smiled and rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Mom looked between the two of us confusedly.

"It's nothing, Mom. Secret wolf stuff," Jathan added, winking at me. Mom sighed and rolled her eyes. We all jumped as the doorbell rang a third time. I wasn't so excited to open it this time, since it would probably be someone else who wasn't Jacob. I wasn't disappointed, however.

There he stood, cheeks red from the cold and smiling brightly in a long sleeved gray shirt and black jeans that accentuated his physique nicely. My disappointment immediately melted away and was replaced by a warm feeling in the middle of my chest. I smiled back at him as he opened his arms.

"Hey Jake," I sighed, melting into his embrace and inhaling his wonderful scent. He chuckled and squeezed me into a bear hug before setting me back down on the porch.

"Hey beautiful," he teased. He leaned in and pressed a searing kiss to my forehead, his plush lips lingering long enough to make me blush.

"Is that Jacob?" I heard my mother call.

"Jacob?" Jathan's voice questioned. Jake pulled back quickly as Jathan's head popped into the doorway, his face looking slightly irritated. "What's he doing here?" he growled.

"I was invited over for dinner," Jake said matter-of-factly, staring right back at Jathan as he slipped his arm around my waist. Jay narrowed his eyes, his lips forming a tight line as he glared at Jake. He stepped aside as we walked in, his eyes following Jake all the way through.

"Jacob dear!" Mom cried cheerily, walking around the counter with her arms held out. She gave Jake a quick hug and patted his biceps affectionately while wiggling her eyebrows at me. I blushed and glanced up to see Jake smiling at me. Jathan snorted and walked back into the kitchen.

Quiet small talk was made as we passed plates and utensils around before digging into the 'buffet.' Jathan went to go sit on the couch and Mom followed, so Jake and I grabbed a stool and sat near the counter where it wasn't covered by food. I eyed my food hungrily, and had a delicious, juicy piece of ham nearly to my mouth when Jake stopped me, an evil glint in his eyes.

"But wait, Ina. You have to appreciate your food first before you eat it," he teased. I growled menacingly, but he wasn't intimidated.

"Remember, first you have to inhale." I inhaled quickly. "Then you have to stare at it for a minute. Stare for exactly a minute, okay? Then you have to waft." I ignored him and went to go take a bite, but my fork was out of my hand in a flash. My ham!

Jake waved it under his nose and breathed in. "Mm! Smells delicious," he breathed. I clenched my hand around my knife. "Maybe I should taste it first, just in case it's rotten or something." He stuck his tongue out and brought it threateningly close to my delectable piece of ham. I raised the knife in the air with a shaking hand while glaring at him. He put his tongue back in his mouth and smiled.

"Do you appreciate it fully now?"

I growled. He grinned and leaned in closer, bringing my fork up to my mouth. I gave a very unlady-like chomp and took the fork away from him. I almost cried it tasted so good. Jake laughed at me some more as I put a protective arm around my plate and started eating. He soon had his plate cleared and went back for seconds after a bit of goading from Mom. She beamed happily at me when he was busy shoving food into his mouth, and I laughed at how opposite Jathan's expression was. He glared angrily at the television and refused to look at me.

After everyone was stuffed, Mom whipped the pie out of the oven and sat it in front of our drooling faces. Oh there's always room for dessert. She gave an extra large slice (nearly half the pie) to Jake, then gave a slice each to the rest of us. Jake didn't even wait for it to cool off before he started eating it. He made a funny noise and twitched before downing his entire glass of ice water.

"Yes, Jake, it does happen to be three hundred and seventy-five degrees," I smirked. He grinned and made sure to blow on the next piece before sticking it in his mouth. We watched one of those funny video shows while we ate, making comments and laughing every now and then at the misfortunate people on the screen. It felt nice, even though Jathan exuded an aura of anger. Around nine thirty, Jake stood up.

"I should probably go, since we have school tomorrow," he said. My mom beamed at him, nudging me in the ribs.

"Why don't you show Jacob to the door, Ina?" she said. Jathan rolled his eyes and retreated into the kitchen. I blushed and shuffled to the door behind Jake. We made it outside and I closed the door behind me, hugging my arms around me against the chill. It was now completely dark outside, save for a few street lamps and porch lights around the neighborhood. I felt Jake's warm hands cover my shoulders and I looked up to see him smiling at me.

"I'll see you soon," he whispered. He leaned down and I closed my eyes, but was disappointed when he only kissed my cheek. I frowned as he walked off and returned into the house. My mom sat waiting on the couch with a huge grin on her face.

"So?" she said, wiggling in her seat.

"So what?" I asked flatly.

"Is he a good kisser?"

I paused and looked up at the ceiling, sighing.

"I'm going to bed, Mom."

"But!"

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," I said, quickly giving her a hug before heading off to my room. I met Jay in the hallway and tried to shuffle past him, but he stopped me.

"Ina, I thought you were mad at him. Wasn't he the one that hurt Paul?" he asked accusingly.

"You don't know the whole story," I mumbled. I had left out the part about being in heat when I had retold the story to him. He sighed and I gave him a hug.

"It's okay, Jaynini. You can trust him," I said. He tightened his arms around me and rested his cheek against the top of my head.

"I don't know about that," he grumbled. I thumped his side and pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"I promise he's a good guy. I know we had some bad experiences in the past, but now I understand what was going on. Just give him a chance, okay?" I pleaded. He stared at me for a moment before nodding.

"I trust that you know what you're doing," he said. I clapped and gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading off to my room. I shut the door and changed into my favorite oversized T-shirt and polka dotted pajama pants, then headed off to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I came back into my room and flicked the light off, but before I could retreat from the cold there was a knock at my window. I crept over to it and peeked out to see a grinning Jake. I flung it open and looked at him in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. His face fell.

"You said I could come over tonight," he mumbled, looking at the grass. What? …OH.

"You meant to stay the night?" I squeaked, teeth chattering as an icy breeze blew through the open window. He nodded seriously.

"I wasn't planning on doing anything, um, _bad_," he whispered. He looked sad that I had actually had that thought. I sighed and thought for a moment before waving at him to come in. His face immediately brightened as he clambered through the tiny window and into my room. I quietly shut the window, then hugged my arms around myself as I shivered.

"You cold?" he asked, a worried look on his face. I nodded.

"Yeah the heater went out today. Sam is supposed to come fix it within the next few days," I answered, looking at the floor. I watched his feet come closer and my heart pounded inside my chest as he wrapped his arms around me. I sighed and sank into his warmth.

"Good thing you have me then," he chuckled. He took a deep, long breath and I tensed, eyes widening in fear.

"J-Jake, maybe this isn't such a g-good idea," I stammered, pulling away from him. His eyes were darkened slightly as he smiled.

"Don't worry. I know how to control myself," he reassured. I frowned.

"That's what all the other guys said," I mumbled quietly. He shook his head and slid his shoes off, setting them at the end of my bed before pulling his shirt off. I gasped and flung myself against the wall, face aflame from all the blood rushing to it. His head snapped in my direction and he paused.

"Too much? I'll put my shirt back on if you want," he said quickly, yanking the shirt over his head. I exhaled and relaxed a little, though my heart was still trying to leap out of my throat. I gulped as he walked over to me, his hands skimming up my rigid arms.

"You okay? I didn't mean to scare you," he whispered, his eyes full of concern. I shook my head and blinked a few times, then took a deep breath.

"You didn't scare me. I was just…startled is all," I panted. I could feel the heat radiating off of him and longed to snuggle close to him. He smirked and I suddenly felt very worried.

"So if you're not scared, I can take it off?" he asked, lifting the shirt up and over his head. He threw it on the ground and stood in front of me in all his glory. I squeaked and clamped my hands over my eyes. _Jacob is not standing shirtless in your dark room, Jacob is not standing shirtless in your dark room. When you open your eyes he'll be fully clothed! _I told myself. I peeked through my fingers cautiously.

"Still here," he chuckled, taking my hands away from my face. I squeezed my eyelids together and flattened myself against the wall as he stepped closer and closer until finally we were toe to toe.

"You don't have to be scared of me. I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly, his voice like pure honey. I sneaked a glance at his face, noticing that he looked a little hurt but determined at the same time. I took a deep breath and kept my eyes on his face.

"I know you won't. It will just take some getting used to," I answered.

"It's not like you haven't seen me like this before," he chuckled. I shrugged.

"Not shirtless, in my dark room, alone with me." I looked at the wall to my right, embarrassed. He was right, I had seen him shirtless before. It was just shirtless for crying out loud, not like he was buck naked or something. Most girls would be flinging themselves into his waiting arms by this time.

He cupped his hand to my cheek and turned me to face him, his eyes burning with something I couldn't quite place. It was a deep, intense sort of look that made me feel …weird. My heart thumped against my chest and I scowled at it before quickly looking back up, eyes wide. I had forgotten there was a pack of abs down there.

"Ina Call, you never _ever_ have to be scared of me," he breathed. "I'm here to protect you. I promise that you can trust me. So don't be scared, okay?"

I flinched as he took my hands and placed them on his chest, pressing them firmly against his skin. I felt his heart beating beneath my right hand, a quick, hard thumping similar to my own heartbeat.

"Ina, look at me," he pleaded. I let my eyes wonder up to his face. He looked determined, but I could see the love in his eyes. He smiled brilliantly and I felt myself weakening under his loving gaze.

"This is how I sleep, so you'd better get used to it," he chuckled. I nodded in agreement, cheeks burning as he set my hands on his shoulders.

"Close your eyes and trust me," he ordered. I did what he said and jumped as I felt him guiding my hands over his collar bone and down to his chest. He let go of my hands but I kept them on his bare chest, willing myself not to freak out.

"Come on, you can do it. Feel me up," he teased. I laughed despite myself and bit my lip as I quickly skimmed my hands over his abdomen. It was weird how soft he was even though he was made of pure muscle. I cracked one eye open and giggled as I poked at his pec.

"What?" he grinned.

"It's squishy!" I giggled.

"Oh hush," he said, grabbing me into a hug. I squirmed uncomfortably for a few moments, but he kept his arms tight around me.

"Trust me," he whispered into my ear. I nodded and tried to settle down a little. _It's just Jake, nothing to be afraid of. He's your imprint, you can trust him, _I told myself as he shuffled backward to my bed and pulled the covers back. He let go of me so he could climb in, and I immediately missed his warmth as the chill bit into me once more. At least in the kitchen it was warm because of the oven, but my room was the farthest from it so it was as cold in here as it was outside. He watched me shiver with an amused look on his face, his head propped up on his elbow.

"It's nice and toasty in here," he teased. I took a deep breath to calm myself and sat down on the bed, glancing at him unsurely. He held the blanket up and waited for me to get in, a smile on his face. I took another breath and slid my feet into the warmth under the covers, then slowly lowered my body down onto the mattress, my back stiff. I had a secret agent moment and really wanted to say, 'we're in!' but I didn't. He pulled the blanket up around my shoulders and held his arm up invitingly.

"Free space heater, right in front of you."

I scowled at him and wiggled a tad closer, then had to keep myself from squawking loudly as he pulled me flush against him. He wrapped his arm around me and buried his face into my hair, inhaling deeply. I could feel his lips smiling against my forehead.

"Better?" he asked. I had to admit, it was quite toasty. I could get used to this…eventually. "Just relax," he soothed, petting my hair.

Ah what the heck.

I sighed and snuggled closer, pressing my cold nose to his skin as I gingerly placed my hands on his chest. He was warmer than any normal person could ever be, and I liked it. I wormed my left leg in between his knees and stuck my toes against his calf, curling them against the warmth of his skin. He chuckled.

"See? Nothing to be afraid of. I'm just a big heater."

I smiled against his skin and breathed in his ever comforting scent. I felt myself getting tired and fought to keep my eyes open. Jake rubbed my back in warm circles and whispered things in my ear. I was losing focus, and only caught a few things that he said.

"I can't believe you're mine, Ina," he whispered quietly, placing butterfly kisses on my forehead after each sentence. "You're so beautiful, so very beautiful…"

He continued whispering, his words getting quieter and quieter. He moved his hand to stroke my cheek, then leaned down to kiss it gently. I felt myself drifting, melting away in his comfortable warmth and sweet words. He pressed his lips to my cheek again and moved to whisper one last thing.

"Goodnight, my love…_Que quowle."_

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**A/N: Oh, one last thing that is highly relevant and may just save your life. After the last chapter, I was craving waffles suuuuuuuuuuper bad. So I went to Waffle House the next morning and got two chocolate chip waffles with extra syrup, just the way Ina likes them (and I like them too, if they're not embedded with chocolate chunks of doom). I got about three quarters of the way done before I felt like I was going to puke, they were so sweet. Delicious, but super duper sweet. So if you want to go try some, by all means do so (Waffle House is the best ;D)! But be warned...you may fall into a sugar coma. And because of this chapter I'm probably going to make a pecan pie tomorrow. Stupid Ina and her having to describe food deliciously. T_T **

**By the way, anyone going to be attending Hendrix College in the fall? ;D I'd love to have a fanfiction buddy. XD Kay I'm shutting up now. X)  
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	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Fluffity fluff fluff fluffiness ahead! Big time Jakey loving. :3 Muahahaha, I got so many reviews telling me they wanted waffles. Spread the waffle love!**

**Artemis de Nacho: I really enjoy your name. :D But thanks for your review, the "Brothel Fest 3000" made me giggle uncontrollably. Needless to say, I'm a little old fashioned, and don't like it when characters jump each other's bones right off the bat. I mean, where's the love in that? :/ So I'm happy you support the Jake and Ina loving. :) **

**Stark-Raving-Mad-xD: And I quote, "Pretty please with Jake on top." ...-bursts into fit of laughter- **

**Thanks to everyone else who reviewed/alerted/favorited! I appreciate it mightily!  
**

**And if you guys want some Embear loving, I suggest you go visit HunnyABee 's one-shot story "Who Needs Dreams?" I found it incredibly sweet and fluffy and awesome and dangit I want a fictional boyfriend. T_T And to write an Embry fic. :3 **

**Did you guys know that Kiowa Gordan (Embry) does screamo? O_o I was like whoa...he's so quiet and cute in interviews and then he's all RAWWRRR DJFKDAJDKJFDJAJ! He may not be the best at it, but it makes me love him more because he tries. :3 GO TEAM KIOWA! X) I'm so naming my future son after him...he has the coolest name ever and it would drive my mother crazy, ha! :D Anyway, do enjoy and review if you'd like! I love me some reviews almost as much as waffles...unfortunately I can't eat reviews, but I'm sure they'd be pretty tasty if I could.  
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**Chapter 15**

I woke up sweating sometime during the night and cracked my eyes open as I kicked off the offensive blanket angrily. Cool air immediately rushed over my skin and I sighed. I felt Jake shift a little beside me and looked up to see him frowning a little in his sleep. I snuggled back into him and the frown slowly left his face, leaving him sweet and peaceful looking.

His eyebrows weren't scrunched together in worry, the corners of his mouth weren't slightly deepened in a small frown like they sometimes were. The light from my alarm clock bathed his face in a blushing glow, making his skin look even smoother than usual. He sighed and mumbled something in his sleep before tightening his arms around me. I rested my forehead against his chest and smiled, then placed a gentle kiss against his warm skin. I looked back up at his face, letting my eyes trace the smooth lines and sharp corners.

I felt every cell in my body humming in happiness, just the feeling of being close to him was enough to leave me breathless. I was flattered that he trusted me enough to let me see him this vulnerable, so childlike in his peaceful slumber. His chest rose and fell with each breath he took, his heart thumping quietly under his skin as he sighed. His lips parted and turned up into a small smile.

I wonder what he dreams about?

He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like my name and I suddenly found myself not wanting to know what he was dreaming. His chest vibrated in what sounded like a purr and I laughed quietly to myself. I smoothed the hair away from his forehead and leaned in close.

"Jake, I think I love you," I whispered. His breathing hitched for a moment and I thought he might have heard, but he finally exhaled, his breathing returning to its slow rhythm. I snuggled back down to his chest and smiled, feeling completely and utterly and incandescently happy.

"Honey, your alarm clock is going off," someone with a lovely deep voice whispered in my ear. I groaned and flapped an arm out to hit the blasted contraption, smiling in victory when it stopped mid shriek. I snuggled back into the warmth beside me, frowning when the alarm went off again in what seemed like seconds later.

"Come on, we have to get up. School is going to start soon," Jake sighed.

"Screw school," I grumbled.

He chuckled and suddenly flipped over so that I was lying beneath him. "Wake up!" he whisper yelled. I shook my head, stubbornly keeping my eyes closed. He shook my shoulders and bounced up and down for a moment, but stopped when I rolled over onto my stomach and stuck my head under the pillow.

"If you don't wake up I'll throw you outside into the cold!"

"No you won't. You're too nice for that," I reasoned, smiling against the mattress. I was suddenly being thrown over a massive shoulder and carried to the window. My eyes widened in fear and I beat against his back and said, "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"That's what I thought," he chuckled, standing me up. I glared at him and stuck my tongue out before attempting to run a hand through my tangled nest of hair. Jake was giving me a weird look, a smile playing on his full lips.

"What?" I asked, blushing. He just shook his head and continued staring and smiling. I looked at the floor for a moment, then glanced back up. He was still staring.

"What?" I asked, exasperated. He chuckled and let his arms wrap snugly around my waist. He planted a kiss on my forehead and leaned back to look at me some more, an almost awe struck look on his face.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered. I cocked an eyebrow at him and looked in the mirror. My hair looked like a rat had made its home inside of it, my eyes were slightly puffy, and my shirt was drooping off one shoulder and hung off of me like a square potato sack. I pointed at the mirror.

"Have you seen that?" I asked doubtfully. He hugged me close and looked in the mirror, his cheek resting against the top of my head. He smiled and I couldn't help but smile too. This big, muscley, gorgeous bear…wolf of a man was wrapped around me, a shrimpy hobo looking kid. His hair was sticking up at odd angles, but other than that he looked beautiful as always.

"If this is how you wake up in the morning, I'm going to have to put makeup on in my sleep or something," I joked. He frowned and shook his head.

"Nuh uh. I like you like this," he said seriously. I smiled and gave him a squeeze. Could any other man be so adorable? I think not. He moved me so that I was standing with my back to him and draped his arms over my shoulder, letting his chin rest on the top of my head.

"I, for one, think we make a pretty sexy couple," he said, a smirk forming on his face. I leaned forward slightly and grabbed my camera off of my dresser. "Say cheese!" I said quickly before taking a picture. He snatched it out of my hands and looked at it. "How do you delete it? I look bad in this one," he frowned. I jumped to reach it but unfortunately he was way taller than me. I climbed onto my bed and jumped on his back while he was busy pressing random buttons. It was like jumping against a concrete wall.

"Nooo! Give it back!" I whined. He held it out of my reach and continued pushing buttons, a scowl on his face. I waved my arms uselessly in front of me. He stopped suddenly and threw me onto the bed and was out the window in two seconds flat. I just laid there, wide eyed, until there was a knock at the door.

"Huh?" I said confusedly. My mom opened the door and poked her head in.

"Just wanted to make sure you were awake. I don't want you to be late again," she smiled. I nodded and she closed the door. I remembered the camera in my hands and looked at the picture on the screen. I was cheesing big time, being goofy as always, and Jake's face was next to mine looking slightly confused but smiling also.

"Delete it!" he hissed, the top part of his head popping up at my window. I set the camera on my dresser and walked to the window. I smiled and bent down to kiss his cheek.

"I'll see you at school, Jake. That picture is not being deleted," I said before shutting the window. He looked like I had kicked him in the face. He pressed his hands against the window while frowning and giving me the saddest face I've ever seen on a grown man. I almost cried before flinging the window back open and throwing my arms around him.

"That's more like it," he chuckled, squeezing me back. Even though I was leaning out the window into the cold outdoor air, I felt none of it. He was as warm as a human toaster. I thought occurred to me and I pulled back and looked at him seriously.

"Am I your toast?" I asked. He looked confused so I elaborated. "You said last night that you were warm and toasty, kind of like a human toaster. So does that make me your toast?" I grinned widely and he shook his head at me.

"Only you," he sighed. He leaned down and puckered up his lips with a hopeful face. "Hmm?"

"But I haven't brushed my teeth yet!" I argued in horror. He shrugged and leaned in more, trying not to smile as he puckered his lips. I scowled at him, but he just stood there and fluttered his eyelashes innocently.

"You know you want to," he said, making his voice deep and smooth. I forced back a shiver and shook my head at him. He sighed and looked down at the ground for a moment, his face completely hidden. When he looked back up I stepped back and said, "Whoa."

"It's my sexy face. Isn't it convincing?" he asked, raising his left eyebrow slightly. I laughed and shook my head at him even though my heart was beating rapidly inside my chest. The traitor.

He smirked a little, his dark eyes smoldering as he stepped back through the window and followed me as I stepped backwards in attempt escape. I realized too late that I was in front of the bed and tripped onto my back on the mattress. He was quickly kneeling over me, his face still formed into that devilishly handsome grin. My heart pounded so hard against my ribcage I thought it would explode as he leaned down, his eyes on my lips before they slowly traveled back up to my eyes. His long dark lashes framed his molten chocolate eyes perfectly, and I found myself mesmerized by the raw emotion they held. He got even closer and my eyelids fluttered closed, my breath quickening. After what seemed like agonizingly long hours I opened my eyes again to see him smiling down at me.

"Jerk," I hissed, glaring at him. He chuckled and quickly captured my lips in his own. He pulled back all too soon and smiled cutely.

"Love you!" he said as he kissed my nose. He waved and was gone.

I grumbled and shook my head, then started getting ready for the day ahead.

Embry still picked me up in his beat up red truck, a huge grin on his face. He teased me all the way to school and I did not regret having to go into the hated building just to get away from him. Jake met me halfway through the parking lot and slipped his hand into warm hand into mine before smiling at me.

The rest of the day went well. Jake met me after almost every class and walked me to the next one, and he along with Embry and Quil came to pick me up for lunch.

"Where are the others?" I asked, looking around for Jared and the younger guys.

"They're scared of Jacob's bad ass self," Quil teased, elbowing Jake in the ribs. Jake shrugged.

"Just you wait until Claire goes into heat," he shot back. I looked between them in confusion. Embry sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Claire is Quil's imprint. She's almost five," he explained. I gasped and stared at Quil in wide eyed horror, my jaw hanging to the floor as I pointed at him with a shaking index finger. Jake chuckled and shut my mouth.

"Remember I told you that an imprint didn't have to be romantic. Right now, Quil is like the best big brother Claire could ever have. When she grows up there will be time to develop mature feelings later. But for now, Quil just looks at her like a little sister that he loves very very much."

Quil nodded his head furiously, his bottom lip puckered out in a pout. We heard a crash and looked up to see Jared looking down at a guy he apparently ran into with a confused look. He helped the guy up and continued on his way, a sappy smile plastered on his face.

"Uh-oh. I know that look," Embry gulped, glancing between Jake and I. We paused for a moment before coming to a mutual understanding, then quickly ran after Jared. Quil spun him around and Jared swayed on his large feet, the lopsided grin still there along with the loving look in his eyes.

"Jared, did you imprint?" Quil asked seriously, and Jared nodded.

"And she's the most beauuuuuuuutful girl ever," he swooned, wrapping his arms around Quil's neck as he swayed. It looked like he was trying to slow dance with Quil and I snorted in amusement.

"What's her name?" Embry asked.

"I donno," Jared answered, pausing his dancing and looking up at the ceiling in thought. "I donno…I donno…I donno! Guys I don't know my imprint's name! Help me, brother, help!" he shrieked, shaking Quil by the shoulders. Quil's head flopped back and forth helplessly before Jake stepped in and stopped him. We walked to the cafeteria as we thought of ways to find out her name. Jared spotted her instantly, and the love sick look immediately struck his face again. He sighed and sat down at the table with his head his hands. An idea hit me and I quickly dug out a piece of paper and a pen and handed it to Jared.

"Go tell her that you're on the yearbook staff and you're going around asking people what their favorite high school memory is, and ask her name so that you can quote her," I explained proudly. Jared leaped up and grabbed me into a giant bear hug that lifted me off the ground.

"Ina you're brilliant!" he yelled before giving me a giant wet kiss on the cheek. He scuttled off to the girl's table and ignored the evil death glares Jake was giving him. I shrugged and wiped his spit off with a napkin. We watched surreptitiously as Jared walked up to the girl, scratching his head nervously. He said some words and the girl laughed and said something back, then stuck her hand out for him to shake it. Jared turned bright red and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. He shook it quickly then stood there awkwardly for a moment as the girl scribbled something down on a scrap of paper. He smiled at her and I could tell she was having the melting feeling right about then. She watched him as he scurried back to the table, a huge grin on his face.

"So?" we asked in unison, leaning toward him in earnest. He held up the scrap of paper and glanced over his shoulder at the girl. She smiled and waved at us.

"Well, she's actually on the yearbook staff," he chuckled. We laughed for quite a while before we settled down enough to listen to him again. He cleared his throat and gave me an appreciative glance before continuing.

"Her name is Kimberly Moss, but everyone calls her Kim, and, read it and weep boys, she gave me her phone number."

We cheered and the guys gave him heavy claps on the back as he smiled sheepishly. The rest of lunch was spent planning on when Jared should call Kim, what they should do on their first date, and what not to do on their first date, among other things. I looked on in amusement as the guys chattered away, sipping my apple juice quietly.

Imprinting really was a beautiful thing.

I had never seen Jared so enraptured in the entire time that I had known him. His face literally glowed with happiness, and a small blush flushed his cheeks when he said Kim's name. His eyes sparkled happily and when he looked over at her, she was always looking back at him, smiling. Jared's expression was sweeter than I had ever seen before. He looked like a little kid that had just found a mountain made of candy, or better yet, a wolf that had come upon a never ending supply of juicy, succulent steak. I gave him a hug and said congratulations before we left, and spent the rest of my day in relative happiness thanks to the amazing event that I had witnessed.

The next few days passed almost as happily as the first. Jake spent the night often, and when he couldn't he would always drop by sometime during the night to take a short nap. His heat and love were always welcome, since Sam still hadn't gotten around to fixing our heater. I suspected Jake had something to do with it, but when Mom shuffled out of her room with a red, runny nose I put my foot down and called Sam.

"Sam Uley speaking," his deep voice rumbled in my ear.

"Hey Sam, it's Ina Call. Just wondering when you were going to have time to fix our heater since it's you know, negative twenty five degrees outside and now November," I answered jokingly. He chuckled and I heard another voice in the background. He covered the phone and mumbled something, then sighed.

"Well, Jake has enjoyed you being without heat for the past few nights," he said. I snorted to hide my embarrassment.

"I knew it! Well it's fine and dandy with me when he comes over, but my mom is getting sick because of it."

"Alright, alright. I'll be right over," he laughed. We said our goodbyes and hung up. I grabbed an extra blanket and went into the kitchen where my mother was to wrap it around her shoulders.

"Oh, thank you dear," she sniffled, tugging it closer. The microwave dinged and she pulled out a huge bowl of chicken noodle soup. I sniffed happily as she poured some into a bowl for me. We plopped down on the couch and ate in relative silence until the doorbell rang.

"It's Sam," I stated simply. My mom flew into a frenzy trying to make herself "presentable." I shook my head at her and opened the door. Something large that I later recognized as Paul shuffled past me and into the hallway where our heater was sitting uselessly. It occurred to me that I had not seen him since that day on the road. Sam leaned against the doorway and sighed.

"Sorry about this," he mumbled, looking down at me. I shrugged.

"You shouldn't be."

"Eh. Kid needs the experience for when he's out on his own. He's been asking for more work so I've been trying to help as much as I can," Sam said. We both watched Paul for a moment. He flung his toolbox onto the carpet and opened the door to reveal the broken piece of crap. His face was empty, vacant as he tinkered around with the metal bits and pieces.

My mom shuffled out of her room with a new shirt on and patted Paul on the shoulder affectionately. I stopped her before she could manhandle Sam and whispered, "Mom, he's married." Her face fell for a fraction of a second before she went ahead and greeted Sam anyway. They were busy talking about adult things, so I slowly made my way over to Paul and leaned against the wall behind him.

"Hey Paul," I said quietly. He didn't say anything and just kept working. "You want something to drink or something?" I asked tentatively. He shot Sam a look and Sam looked at me sympathetically as he led me away from Paul. I frowned, knowing where this was going.

"He's mad at me, isn't he?" I asked. Sam sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"Katherine, would you mind making some coffee for us? It's pretty cold outside," Sam suggested, winking at me. My mom quickly got to work. Oh Sam, you do know how to make middle aged women swoon.

He led me over to the couch and sat down.

"Have you heard about…me and Leah?" he asked, quietly enough so that my mom wouldn't hear. I nodded.

"A little bit."

Sam grimaced and sighed again, then looked at me seriously.

"Leah and I were in love. We had been dating for three years, and were pretty close. Well, one day her aunt was having surgery, so I went with her to the hospital. I met her cousin Emily and…imprinted."

I patted his hand comfortingly as he took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling, blinking a few times.

"It's not your fault," I said.

"No, it's not my fault, or Emily's, or Leah's. It's just something that happened, and if I could have it some other way I would. But it's not possible. I love Emily, but I loved Leah too. I hate what I did to her, and she makes sure to let me know every second of pain she has gone through because of me. It's kind of the same way with Paul," he said, giving me a cautious look. I sense of dread washed over me, seeping into my bones and wrapping itself around my heart with icy cold fingers.

"It's not your fault, or Jacob's. You guys should be happy together, but I think Paul needs some time to himself to heal and move on. So…" he drifted off.

"So you want me to stay away from him," I answered flatly. He nodded, his eyebrows knitted together in worry. I nodded grimly and stood up.

"Mom, I'm going for a walk," I called out. I waved to Sam and shuffled out the door into the chilled autumn air. I stuck my hands in my pockets and started down the sidewalk, the overcast weather appropriately reflecting my melancholic mood.

I wasn't mad at Sam for telling me to leave Paul alone, I knew he was right. What hurt was that I was the one that broke Paul's heart. I had given him hope, and then wrenched it away without giving him a second thought. I had been so happy with Jake that I had forgotten the damage I had left in my wake.

I kicked dead leaves out of my way as I walked in no particular direction. The cold air blew against my skin, leaving me slightly numb in some places, but it felt refreshing. I stepped over the invisible border between civilization and nature and trekked my way into the woods.

Leaves and twigs crunched under my feet, bare branches scraping against each other overhead. I continued walking until I heard something crunch the ground in front of me.

"Hey Jake," I mumbled, giving him a small smile. He ducked his head down and whined, his beautiful russet colored fur swaying in the breeze. I walked up to him and patted his shoulder, letting my fingers sink deep into his fur. He gently nipped my shirt between his teeth and tugged on it.

"Want me to follow you?" I asked. He nodded in reply, giving me one last worried look before turning away. I walked behind him, following his swaying feathery tail as he walked deeper into the forest. He glanced back to check on me every now and then, his big brown eyes full of concern. I made sure to smile at him, there was really no need for him to worry. Just me being an emo kid.

Eventually we reached a clearing, and when I looked up I saw his house standing a few hundred yards in front of me. He jerked his head toward it as he ran off behind a tree. I started walking to his house and he soon caught up to me, catching my hand in his and squeezing it affectionately. He looked at me but stayed quiet as we walked up the steps. He opened the door and held it for me while I walked in, then shut it behind him.

His house was just as I had remembered it from our first date, warm and inviting. He sat me down on the couch, then went to crank up the heat. He clanged around in the kitchen for a bit before bringing me a mug of something steamy and delicious smelling. I took it and sniffed, smiling despite myself at his sweetness.

"How'd you know I like hot chocolate?" I asked. He grinned.

"I have my sources," he answered. "You forget I had to listen to Paul rant about you before I ever knew you."

Paul.

I sighed and sunk back into the couch, letting the mug warm my hands. Jake sat down beside me and pulled my hair back from my face.

"Is there something bothering you?" he asked. I looked up at him and bit my lip, feeling the tears poking my eyes like burning embers. He quickly grabbed the cup from me and sat it on the table while drawing me to him with his other arm.

"Ina," he breathed, petting my hair. I drew my fists up in front of my face and sucked in a shaky breath, feeling the hot tears trail down my freezing skin. Jake held me tight as I wept, murmuring softly in my ear and kissing wherever he could reach. He shifted so that we were lying back against the couch and tugged my shoes off with his toes, then gently pulled my bulky coat off of me. I sniffled as he settled down again and wrapped his arms around me.

He didn't prod or question, just petted my hair and gently rubbed my back until I was ready. I used my sleeve to wipe the tears from his skin, but it was still a little sticky when I put my face back down to it. His heart beat smoothly against his chest, the slow, gentle rhythm comforting me. I let my eyes flutter closed as I listened, and he didn't resist.

"Hey Ina?" he asked softly.

"Hm?"

He paused for a moment, and I noticed his heart pick up a bit.

"Do you sleep well when you're with me?"

I nodded, smiling against his skin. He took a deep breath, making me rise and fall with his chest.

"Do you dream when you're with me?"

I shrugged.

"I don't really remember," I answered honestly.

"That's good. They say you sleep well when you can't remember your dreams," he said quietly. I looked up at him and his face was slightly troubled.

"Have you been sleeping well?" I asked, worried that I had been causing him discomfort. A slow smile spread across his face and nodded, looking down at me.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled. He bit his lip and looked out the window for a moment, gazing at the sky thoughtfully. "I dream about you a lot. But every night I have the same dream at some point during the night."

My breath hitched in my throat, and I coughed as my heart sputtered happily. He patted my back but continued looking out the window as he spoke.

"Every night, we're laying in bed like we normally would be. I can't see you but I know you're there, and I can feel you touching me. You always kiss my chest, and then you mess with my hair for a minute, and then you say something." He looked down at me at this point, confusion and hope in his eyes. I nodded for him to continue, my heart pounding against my chest like it was trying to jump into Jake's and meet his heart.

"At first, it seemed like you were a little unsure, but then you slowly started getting better. Every night, Ina, you tell me that you love me."

My eyes widened as I tensed against him. I willed myself to be calm, ordered my lungs to inhale and exhale so that I wouldn't die.

"The thing is," he continued, "it doesn't seem like a dream. It feels so…real."

He looked down at me in wonder, his eyes holding a mix of hope and pain.

"It's my favorite dream," he said, smiling. He ran his thumb across my cheek, then my lips.

"I'm not saying this to pressure you or anything. I just wanted to be honest with you. I love you, and hope that I can eventually make you feel the same way for me, but I'll be waiting patiently until then."

I nodded and rested my head back against his chest, drawing circles in his skin nervously. He knew, but he didn't know. I had been waiting for the right moment to tell him, and now would be an opportune time to do it. But if I did it now, he would think I did it just because he said he wanted me to. I sighed unhappily, feeling his circling hand start to slow against my back. Eventually it stopped, his chest rose and fell rhythmically, and I knew that he was asleep. I kissed his chest and looked up into his peaceful, beautiful, sleeping face before smoothing his hair away.

"I love you, Jacob Black," I whispered, gazing at him a few moments longer before letting myself relax against his comforting warmth, feeling if not happy, then at least content.

I smiled as I realized that our hearts were beating in unison.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I know guys I'm so sorryyyyy! T_T I've been really busy and went camping this weekend and have been hanging out with friends almost everyday because I'm leaving for college next Tuesday. =O I'm sorry if there are typos I don't have time to read through it because I have to go to work but you understand right? I wanted to get this chapter out asap because I've been a horrible author and haven't updated, so please forgive me! Pretty please with Jakey on top! XD **

**Please review/alert/favorite/whatever you feel like doing and thank you so much guys!  
**

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**Chapter 16**

Something was clicking loudly and flashing. Even through the safety of my closed eyelids it blinded me. I felt Jacob shift beneath me and groan.

"Quil, what the hell are you doing?" he growled. The flashing paused and I risked cracking my eyes open to see Quil and Embry standing in front of us, Quil holding a camera and Embry smirking as he leaned against the wall. Quil grinned widely and held up the camera in his hands.

"Why, taking advantage of this beautiful moment between my best friend and his imprint to practice my photography, course!" he answered.

"You mean your pornography," Embry said, rolling his eyes. I blushed and pushed myself off of Jacob, looking around for a clock to see how much time had passed. Quil sauntered over, camera in hand, and threw his arm around me while pretending to wipe away a tear.

"They grow up so fast," he sniffled, looking between me and Jake. "My babies!" he cried, throwing his other arm around Jake and giving us choking squeezes. I suffocated for a few minutes until Embry finally pulled him off of us. Jake mumbled curses at him and rubbed his neck, patting me on the back while I slowly regained oxygen. Quil looked at Embry and then threw his arms around him, too, and pretended to weep miserably.

"Ah, Quil, lay off!" Embry grunted, shoving the still weeping Quil against the wall. Quil stuck his tongue out at him and came to plop down on the couch between Jake and I.

"Lookey here what I've got," he grinned. He flicked the camera on and flipped through various pictures of us he had taken while we were asleep. I had to admit, Quil was actually a pretty decent photographer. I told him so and he beamed proudly.

"Don't encourage him," Embry sighed. Jake snorted and got up to retrieve a shirt, Embry was right behind him mumbling something about getting away from the crazed one. Quil waited until they were gone, then leaned over and held his camera out.

"So which one is your favorite?" he whispered, smiling. I flipped through the pictures until I came to the one I like the most. Quil had taken a close-up of our faces, the incandescent light from a lamp giving us a warm glow as we slept. Jake had both arms around me and a slight smile on his face while I was snuggling against his chest. I handed the camera back to Quil and he looked at the picture, then nodded and shut the camera off.

"Christmas present," he smiled.

Jake and Embry reentered, Jake now fully clad in a black shirt and tennis shoes. He held his hand out to me and grinned when I took it.

"We're going to have dinner at Sam and Emily's, if that's okay with you. Everyone else should be there too," he said. I paused and thought for a moment, worry creeping into my expression.

"What?" Jake inquired, dropping to his knees in front of me. I bit my lip and let him feel how nervous I was. He nodded, a determined look in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone be mean to you," he reassured. I nodded and felt better as he wrapped his huge hand around mine. We walked out of the house, Quil and Embry shoving each other behind us, and set off for Sam and Emily's.

Loud chatter could be heard from inside the house as we walked up the driveway; however, Sam's truck was not there. I was a little relieved as we walked inside the house, but that relief was soon overtaken by panic as we walked up the front steps. The chatter stopped when we entered, and I felt myself go white as a sheet when I saw Leah sitting in the armchair. She stared blankly at me for a moment before looking away. Jake squeezed my hand and I looked up to see him smiling down at me.

"Dude, what's for dinner?" Quil asked as his stomach growled hungrily. Everyone laughed and the tension was soon gone, being replaced by laughter and loud talking once more. I relaxed a little and followed Jake as he sat down on the couch beside Jared. Seth walked over to me and grinned widely, almost knocking me over as he clapped me on the shoulder.

"Good to see that you're back and I don't feel like doing you anymore," he smiled. I blushed and Jake shot him a look, earning a laugh from everyone around us. Everyone chatted like usual, talking about patrols and food and everything else boys talk about. Leah was silent, but at least she wasn't shooting me death glares. I glanced at her every now and then, but she kept her eyes trained on whoever was talking at the moment.

"Ina!" a sweet voice called from behind me. I had barely turned around before getting attacked by a feminine body, which I soon realized was Emily. I squeezed her back and she motioned for me to follow her into the kitchen. Jake frowned and gave me puppy eyes as I got up, but Emily smacked him on the back of the head and he grinned.

"So how have you been?" she asked, leaning against the counter. I shrugged.

"You mean besides getting attacked by a pack of hormonal wolf men? Peachy!" I answered. She chuckled and shook her head, her eyes glazing over as she recalled a memory.

"Sam nearly went insane because of that. He'd ask me to marry him every single day until I finally gave in," she giggled. My eye twitched at that thought and I changed the subject.

"Do you need any help making dinner?" I asked. She got an evil glint in her eye and smirked.

"Help is always needed, honey."

Soon I was elbow deep in meatloaf and smelled like a bunch of onions while Emily skillfully chopped vegetables and simultaneously kneaded dough for bread. We heard heavy footsteps among all the laughter coming from the living room and looked up to see Sam and Paul standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Sam immediately walked over to Emily and gave her a kiss while Paul just stood there, eyes widened. He stared at me for a moment before turning and walking out of the house.

"He'll be okay," Sam sighed, wrapping his arm around Emily's waist. I watched Paul out the window as he flung his toolbox and shirt in the back of Sam's truck, then walked off into the woods. I frowned and continued mashing meat and vegetables together in the huge bowl, trying not to think too much about Paul. I knew that I didn't love him like he loved me, but it still bothered me that I was hurting him. He was my best friend since forever after all.

Another knock was heard as Leah entered, her face carefully controlled as she ignored the affectionate couple and looked at me.

"Want to go outside for a bit when you're done?" she asked. I nodded and she returned to the livingroom, her face still as blank as a stone. I finished up the meatloaf and stuck it in the oven, then washed up and went out to meet Leah. Everyone's eyes followed us warily as we walked out, the laughter seeming a little strained. Leah took off for a tire swing out by the edge of the yard, forcing me to run to keep up with her. She suddenly whipped around, making me almost run smack into her, and pointed at the damp ground beside the tree.

"Sit and shutup," she ordered. I nodded and sat down beneath the tree while she stood with her back to me. She finally turned around and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she grumbled. I was a bit shocked. Apparently Leah apologizing is as rare as a full double rainbow. She scowled at my surprised expression and began pacing.

"I know I overreacted a little. I just didn't want Jake to have to go through what I went through. No, I wasn't imprinted on Sam, but I still had feelings for him. I guess I loved him and all that mush. A small part of me applauded you for trying to fight the imprint, but I see now that it's near to impossible."

She turned around to face me, a tight smile on her face.

"I wanted to say thank you, in a way."

I turned my head to the side, confused. She laughed and plopped down beside me, leaning back against her hands. She gazed at the house with a conflicted look, then sighed finally and looked at me. She looked tired but peaceful, and had a glint of determination in her calm brown eyes.

"I realize now that imprinting isn't something that can be ignored. It can't be fought, because no matter how hard you try it will always be there, nagging at the back of your mind and getting bigger and bigger until you finally embrace it wholeheartedly. This whole time I've blamed Sam for not trying, for not fighting for me. But really, it's not his fault. Or Emily's," she said, mumbling at the end. She looked a little regretful and I threw my arms around her and gave her a squeeze. She tensed at first but chuckled and patted my back.

We reentered the house and were greeted by several curious glances. I smiled at everyone, then frowned when I realized Collin had taken my seat. Jake grinned and patted his leg invitingly, making me blush. He glanced at Leah and nodded, and suddenly I was flying through the air. I landed on Jake's knee with a painful thump and hissed, rubbing my backside.

"Oh I'm sorry, let me help you," Jake smirked, putting his hand over my butt. I yelped and leaped into the air, then gave his hand a hard smack before scrambling into the kitchen. My eyes widened and I immediately marched back into the living room, face tinted a deep crimson. They looked at me curiously and I shook my head.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," I said hoarsely. Quil got an evil glint in his eye and grabbed his camera, but Embry pulled him down by the hem of his shirt and rolled his eyes. Everyone shuddered and decided to go play football until dinner was ready.

"Gah, I'm STUFFED!" I wheezed, flopping my head back against the seat behind me. Jake chuckled and patted my protruding stomach affectionately.

"You're looking nice and plump," he smiled.

He did not just call me fat.

I yanked open the door and waddled out only to have him meet me at the front of his car, his arms held out to me as he begged for forgiveness.

"I meant it in a good way! Like yummy and juicy and mm," he sighed, wrapping his arms around me and rubbing his nose against my neck. I mentally chastised my heart for beating rapidly and tried to shove Jake away, but he wouldn't budge. He whined in my ear, his hot breath tickling my skin as he pulled me closer. I held my breath as he ran his hand up my back, but couldn't hold it much longer when his fingers graced over a certain spot between my shoulder blades. I burst out laughing and nearly hit the ground in my spaz attack, but luckily he caught me. He looked slightly confused and I took the opportunity to push him away with as much force as I could and yelled, "PMS POWER!" before dashing to my front door.

"Mom! Jake called me fat!" I whined, pointing accusingly at Jake. My mom gave him a stern look and he flinched as she stood up and walked over to him, circling around him like a hungry shark.

"My dear son-in-law—" I glared at her, "—you never call a woman fat. Especially not when she is as utterly beautiful as my daughter, because she got everything she has from me, and especially not when said daughter is menstruating," she said seriously.

He nodded, back straight and looking straight forward.

"Ma'm, yes, ma'm!" he answered, saluting. She gave a slight nod and returned to her spot on the couch, watching Jake with formidable eyes as we walked back to my room.

He frowned at me and I giggled and backed up as he came forward, his fingers wiggling menacingly. I shrieked and flailed uselessly as he tackled me to the bed. His fingers tickled ceaselessly, making me laugh so hard I thought my chest was going to implode from lack of oxygen.

"Rape!" I screamed, but of course Mom didn't come to save me. "J-Jake s-s-stop!" I gasped, attempting to grab his hands. He narrowed his eyes at me and gradually stopped wiggling his cursed fingers. I lay panting beneath him, face red and slightly damp from laughing so much. He grinned down at me, his perfect white teeth shining in the darkness.

"That's what you get for lying," he teased. I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"I wasn't lying!" I countered.

He scowled and crossed his arms, glaring at me. I smiled innocently then shrieked as he brought on another relentless attack of the wiggly fingers. I tried to get away but he drug me back and sat on my butt so I couldn't get away. Did I mention the guy was heavy?

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhh!" I groaned helplessly.

"So who is the most beautiful, luscious, gorgeous, amazing girl in the world?" he asked.

"Beyonce?" I squeaked out in reply, immediately regretting it as he wiggled forward to sit on my stomach and nearly cut off my oxygen.

"Nope, wrong. Her name starts with an I and ends with a NA."

"Ivana Trump? GYAGHHH!"

He moved up to my ribcage to where I couldn't move at all. Might I add that although he has a lovely bubble butt, it does not quite do itself justice by crushing small girls.

"Nah, wrong again! Her last name is Call. You have one more chance before I teabag your head," he chuckled ominously. I gulped.

"My mom? GYAHH NOOOO! Me! Me! It's me, Ina Call!" I shrieked, covering my head with a pillow. He laughed triumphantly and slid off of my back to lay on his side, watching me amusedly as I gasped for air. I glared daggers at him as I panted, then poked him hard in the chest.

"Ow! Don't molest my breast!" he giggled. I rolled my eyes at him and then got an idea. A very evil idea.

Quite possibly the most evil idea of evilkind.

I glanced at the door, then gave my very best smirk as I shoved him onto his back and sat on him, straddling his hips. He cocked an eyebrow at me in question. I smiled innocently and toyed with the edge of his shirt, letting my fingertips skim over his heated skin as I pulled it up a little. I took a note from Paul and leaned down to kiss his forehead, then his cheeks, nose and chin, anywhere but his lips. I felt his heart hammering against my hand. His eyes were dark and half closed, his lips slightly parted in anticipation.

"Ina?" he breathed. His eyes opened slightly as he looked up at me, then lifted his head. _Argh, not the sexy(er) face!_ I thought miserably as his eyelashes fluttered closed. He looked utterly beautiful, his skin milky caramel and slightly damp in the moonlight. I nearly gave in, but my aching lungs reminded me of the pain I had gone through.

I leaned in closer until our lips were barely touching, and felt his breath quickening. Then I suddenly jerked my head away and blew a huge raspberry on his stomach.

"What the? Ina you little!"

I squealed and jumped off the bed, then raced into the living room and out the door, Jake hot on my heels. I made it halfway out of the yard before he grabbed me up and swung me around, then planted a huge kiss on my lips.

"You're evil," he grunted, frowning at me. I giggled and kissed his nose.

"But you love me anyway," I said.

His eyes grew soft, the corners of his mouth turning up into a silly grin as he said, "That I do."

I woke up the next morning to an unfortunate surprise. Well, two of them actually.

It being the horrendous time of the month, I woke up to a huge spot on my sheets because of the crap pads Mom bought.

Jake was pointing at it curiously.

"What's this?" he asked. I sighed.

"Um, I got stabbed by a ninja in my sleep," I mumbled, sidestepping my way to the door. I had never been more embarrassed in my life.

Jake gave me a small smile and got up, throwing the various pillows and plushies off my bed before stripping in bare. He rolled up the sheets and asked, "Where do these go?" I pointed to the laundry basket in the corner of my room and felt tears pricking my eyes as he shuffled over to put the soiled sheets in the laundry basket. I sniffled and he was at my side in an instant.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, leaning down so he was eye level with me. I hid my burning face in my hands.

"I'm so embarrassed!" I wailed. He chuckled and wrapped me in a hug, then planted a kiss on the top of my head.

"Don't be, it's natural. You can't help it," he soothed. I shook my head.

"I slept on my back when I knew I wasn't supposed to and these stupid piece of crap pads don't help anything and now I have to wash my sheets and I can already tell it's going to be a bad day and—"

He cut me off with a kiss and looked at me lovingly.

"Go take a hot shower and I'll have breakfast ready for you when you get out. We can go buy some better ones after school, kay? You don't have to be embarrassed. I love you," he said softly, the expression in his eyes making me want to melt into a puddle of goo. I nodded and he smiled, kissing my forehead again before going to pick up his shirt off of the floor. I quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt out of my closet and ran to the bathroom.

The hot water made me feel much better. I just stood there in a daze with it hitting my back before I heard a knock at the door.

"I don't mean to bother you, but if you want enough time to eat before we have to leave then you should probably dry off," Jake's voice floated through the door. I sighed and shut the water off, then dried off and put my clothes on. I braided my hair over my shoulder before walking out of the bathroom, immediately being hit by a heavenly scent that can only be described as…heavenly. I dashed into the kitchen to behold the most adorable thing ever.

Jake sat at the bar in the kitchen with a stack of steaming pancakes before him, wearing my Mom's pink and yellow polka dotted apron. A single candle lit the room, bathing his face in a warm glow. He smiled and beckoned me to come sit beside him. I sat down and took an eager sniff.

"Is that? No, it can't be!" I said in disbelief. He nodded, grinning as he forked a few pancakes and stuck them on the plate in front of me.

"I know they're not as good as chocolate chip waffles, but you don't have a waffle maker so hopefully they'll do."

I nodded. "Chocolate chip pancakes are second best to chocolate chip waffles," I agreed.

He poured half the bottle of syrup on top of them and used the rest on his before we dug in.

After breakfast we raced out to his car and then to school. He refused to let me carry my backpack as we got out.

"You should be taking it easy," he reasoned.

"Jake, I'm on my period not dying," I laughed. He shrugged and smiled, taking my hand in his. He leaned down and kissed my cheek and I suddenly felt extremely blessed.

"I love you," I blurted out.

He blinked a few times in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"I love you," I mumbled shyly, looking up at him. He stood there with his mouth open for a few moments, blinking every now and then. I watched a slow smile grace his beautiful face and he laughed, then pulled me into a giant hug.

"I love you, too," he breathed into my ear. My heart hummed happily inside my chest and I felt warm all over. I beamed at him as he took my hand and smiled at me, his eyes shining with happiness.  
Maybe today wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Something strange happened after school.

We were walking back to Jake's car when we noticed a bunch of the guys crowded around Paul's truck. We went over to join them, and they silently nodded to us before looking back at the scene before them, huge smiles on their faces.

Paul was staring down at a large yellow Labrador with his arms crossed, a lost look on his face. The dog wagged its tail happily and looked back at him with huge brown eyes, then barked and turned around. Shock blew me away and I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before Quil waved his hands in front of my eyes.

"Did he?" I whispered, pointing to the dog. Quil laughed and shook his head.

"No, silly. We don't imprint on animals," he chuckled. Relief washed over me and I looked back at the dog as Paul spoke up.

"What do you want, pup?" he asked, bending down on one knee to pat its head. The dog licked his hand and barked again.

"I think she likes you," Embry chuckled. Paul glared at him as he stood up. He shooed the dog but she just sat there, cocking her head to the side curiously.

"Where's your owner?" he asked. The dog cocked her head to the other side and panted. Paul rolled his eyes and unlocked his door, throwing his bag into the passenger seat before closing it. Jared gasped and ran over, knocking on his window.

"You can't just leave her here!" he wailed. Paul raised his eyebrows at him and started his truck. Quil went over to join Jared in guilt-tripping Paul, but he was having none of it. He shifted gears and started pulling forward, waving to Jared and Quil as he went. The dog barked and turned around a few times before giving a miraculous leap into the back of the truck. Paul didn't notice until he got halfway to the road, at which he stomped on his brakes and got out of his truck to yell at the dog. The guys nearly died laughing and had to lean on each other for support, but they ended up falling down anyway. I watched as Paul threw his hands in the air and got back in the truck, taking off with the dog still in tow. She barked at us, her ears flopping in the wind as Paul drove down the road.

Soon Paul and the dog became inseparable. He grumbled about her to the guys, but Jake told me that he had named her Duchess and that he basically took her everywhere he went. It made me smile when I walked outside to get the mail one day and saw him wrestling with her in the yard. I got up enough courage to walk down to his house and talk to him.

"Looks like you've made a new friend," I said. Paul looked up and flashed me a smile, the first smile I had seen from him in weeks.

"Yeah, she's great! Watch this," he said. "Come on, Duchess!"

He leaned over and patted his back. Duchess jumped up on his back and crouched down as he zoomed around the yard singing a Beach Boys song. She barked along with him and jumped down when he moved to stand up, then trotted over to me and looked up expectantly.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a treat for you girl," I apologized, rubbing her blonde head. She huffed and walked back over to Paul, nudging his hand until he started petting her. He boomed a laugh and rubbed her ears affectionately.

"How have you been, Paul?" I asked quietly. He smiled, looking up at me a littly shyly.

"Good, Ina. Really. I've been running a lot and it helps take my mind off of things, and Duchy here is such a goofy dog that I can't help but smile around her," he answered, beaming down at the doggy beside him. She barked and rolled over onto her back.

"You mutt," he grumbled, smiling as he rubbed her belly with his foot. "Hey you want to go get some coffee or something? Catch up on things?" he asked. My eyes widened in shock but I quickly agreed. He ran into his house to grab a leash before we set off for Nilly's.

Nilly wouldn't let Paul bring his newfound friend into the diner no matter how much he begged and cursed. He eventually settled for tying her to the newspaper box, grumbling as we walked inside. He ordered a coffee for him and a hot chocolate for me, then looked out the window to check on Duchess.

"She'll be alright, Paul," I laughed, and he grinned sheepishly.

"I know," he chuckled, "but she's like my kid or something." He turned back to me, smiling a little. "I've missed you, Ina."

"I've missed you too, Paul. You haven't really been yourself lately," I said carefully. He nodded, his face turning serious.

"Yeah. I know I've been a jerk, but I didn't mean anything by it. I still count you as my best friend," he smiled. Nilly came back and set two cups in front of us. I took a sip and hissed, coughing as I shoved the cup in Paul's direction. He looked at me curiously before taking a sip out of his cup. He chuckled and switched with me before taking another sip.

"Ah, you don't know what you're missing," he sighed. I shook my head and gulped my hot chocolate to get the disgusting coffee taste out of my mouth, making him laugh at me when I burned my throat. We chatted about school and random news bits for a while.

"I can't believe they're letting that guy off with only three years in prison. If I was the judge I'd totally castrate that bastard and…and…"

Paul's gaze was directed out the window. He smashed his cup down angrily and stood up, then stomped out of the diner. I quickly followed him to see a girl bending down beside Duchess and untying her.

"What the hell are you doing with my dog?" he barked. The girl ignored him and cooed at the dog in front of her. She was pretty unusual looking, wearing a bright red toboggan and a purple coat with ripped up jeans. I could see rainbow striped tights through the rips, and blonde hair peeking out from under her cap. I held Paul's arm when he started shaking and whispered at him to calm down.

"Um, excuse me. My friend here is just kind of wondering why you're taking his dog," I said.

She looked up at me and frowned.

"This is my dog. She ran away a few days ago and I haven't been able to find her. But Mommy found you now, didn't she Spud?" the girl giggled, hugging the dog's neck.

"SPUD?" Paul hissed in disbelief. "What the hell kind of name is that?" he growled. The girl huffed and stood up, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

"Her name is Spud. Got it memorized? And she's my dog so lay off," she growled right back. Paul groaned and looked up at the sky before looking back at her, his mouth opened to lash out a string of curses. But he never got there.

He stood looking at the girl in wonder, his mouth agape and eyes wide. His expression softened and he got a silly grin on his face, then sighed.

"Hi, I'm Paul," he sighed. The girl cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I'm May."

"And I'm Ina, but could you wait here for just a second please? We'll be right back," I interrupted, dragging Paul away with some effort to the corner of the diner. He was still staring at May with that sappy look, so I snapped my fingers in front of his eyes. When that didn't work, I smacked him and shook his shoulders.

"Get a hold of yourself, man!" I shouted. He looked at me dumbly.

"What?"

"Paul, did you just imprint?" I asked seriously. He looked back at May, grinning with half closed eyes.

"Uh-huh."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: GUYS I'M SO SORRY! T_T I know it's been so long without some Jakey loving! I've just moved into my college dorm and have had like NO time at all to do anything because these crazy, hyper, overly excited orientation people are making us run around like loons. DX I have a little bit of sleep in time tomorrow so I really wanted to put a chapter out. I'm sorry it's not the best, but I'm exhausted and brain dead from all the running around, so please forgive me. T_T**

**I was going to do some shout outs but I forgot what I was talking about when I paraphrased. DX**

**LadyAmazon: Heck yes it's an Axel reference! XD I was hoping someone would catch that. X3**

**If you guys even remotely care, here's my schedule for this semester (I'm pumped!)! I'm taking beginning ballroom/latin/swing dancing, intro into environmental studies, chemistry 1, elementary Chinese, and then I have a chem and another lab class (they're FOUR HOURS LONG! DX ). So yeah, fun.**

**I'm tired so I'm going to bed now. I love you guys for reviewing and favoriting and alerting, and I'm sorry I've been failing you as a fanfiction author. :( I'll do my best to make a better update soon!**

**and do forgive spelling/grammar issues. I'm too tired to go read through it again. Like really, you guys have no clue how tired I am. -whine whine, complain, complain- Thanks again! Enjoy!  
**

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**Chapter 17**

I gaped at Paul in disbelief and then stared at May. She looked like the least likely person for Paul to imprint on. Not only was she a rainbow of color, she was pretty spunky. She caught me staring at her and waved like a loon with a big grin on her face. I led Paul back over to her and took a deep breath.

"Here's the thing," I started. A huge hand suddenly wrapped itself around my face, preventing me from speaking any further.

"Will you go out with me?" Paul blurted. He had a cheeky grin on his face as he stared down at May, who is a few inches taller than I am. May looked surprised at first but then smiled.

"Okay," she replied, winking at him. The grin spread even further across Paul's face and he slung an arm around her shoulders, then grabbed Duchess-Spud's leash and walked off, leaving me behind alone. I watched the puff ball on top of her hat bobble merrily as they disappeared around the corner. Spud turned her head to give me one last bark, and if I didn't know any better I could have sworn I saw her flash a toothy smile as if to say, "yeah, I meant to do this."

I chuckled and went inside to pay the bill that Paul had so lovingly left behind, then thought for a moment before deciding to head to the Clearwater house. Jake was out on patrols until at least midnight, which meant I had absolutely nothing to do for the rest of the beautifully misty Saturday afternoon.

I could barely keep myself from bouncing on my toes as I waited for the door to open. When it did I shrieked and threw my arms around the person and gave them a big squeeze. I paused and wondered if Leah had suddenly gained about fifty pounds of muscle. I looked up to see a confused Seth staring down at me.

"Oops, you're not Leah," I said sheepishly, releasing him from my grasp. He patted his chest and grinned.

"My man pecs are too much man for Leah to—ow!"

He was interrupted by Leah thwacking him on the head with her palm. She rolled her eyes then gave me slight smile, pushing Seth aside so I could come in. Seth grumbled but she ignored him and led me to her room, which was somewhat bare. She chuckled and waved her arm out.

"I decided to do some spring cleaning. I got rid of everything that reminded me of Sam," she explained. My eyes widened and I gave her a clap on the back.

"Good for you, Leah!" I said.

She smiled and rubbed her arm sheepishly, and, dare I say it, there was a small bit of pink tinting her cheeks. I stared at her in awe.

"What?" she asked, the blush growing deeper.

"You're blushing!" I giggled. She glared at me and turned to face the other direction. When she turned back around her face was cool and composed. She cocked an eyebrow at me and I quieted down.

"So," she said, sitting down on her bed, "what brings you here?"

I thought for a moment.

"Just to visit I guess," I replied. She gave a sly smirk.

"You mean you're bored because Jake is out on patrols."

I shrugged then smiled. "You want to go shopping?" I asked. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"The words 'me' and 'shopping' do not go in the same sentence," she said. I flopped down beside her and tried to think of something else. I heard her scoff and when I looked at her she was smirking.

"What?" I asked. She eyed me warily and jerked her head toward the window.

"Let me show you what real women do in their spare time," she smiled. She grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the house.

"LEAH I CAN'T HOLD ON MUCH LONGER!" I screamed, hands fisting into her fur as we raced along the cliff side. I bent down low over her back, my butt aching from bouncing around on her bony spine. I screeched as we neared the cliff edge and was nearly flung off when she stopped suddenly. Her sides heaved beneath me as she panted happily. I slumped to the ground, jaw slackened and eyes wide. Leah closed her eyes, smiling wolfishly against the breeze. A few seconds later, I heard a loud crash as something large and furry came barreling out of the woods behind us. Leah snarled as she was tackled to the ground. Jake stood large and foreboding over her, his fangs bared in a frightening snarl.

"Jake, she hasn't done anything wr—"

I was cut off as Leah barked and bit into Jake's shoulder. He flung her off and she tumbled, rolling over and over and coming right at me. The breath whooshed out of me as Leah's large frame rammed into me before I could get a chance to move.

Suddenly I was flying through the air, falling backwards, down, down.

I barely caught a glimpse of Jake's face as I crashed into a depth so icy cold I felt the very blood in my veins freeze. I gasped and sucked in a gallon of water. My vision went dark, but my eyes stung from the salty water. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. I could only feel myself sinking lower and lower. The water invaded my mouth and I tried to cough it out but only ended up sucking in more. My limbs were frozen, just floating as I sunk further down.

My chest and throat burned like I was throwing up fire. Which I was, salty water is not a joke kids.

"Ina? Ina you scared me half to death, are you okay?"

I felt my stomach heave as another gallon of water came up onto the sand. I coughed and sputtered, groaning as my muscles nearly gave out and made me land in puke. A pair of strong, warm arms scooped me up and held me close.

"Jake?" I croaked. He squeezed his arms tighter around me, showering my face with kisses.

"Dude, she's okay. Let her breathe," another voice chuckled, Quil I suppose. There was a loud smacking noise and he yelped. I reached a shaky hand up to Jake's face, barely able to keep my eyes open, and felt wetness under my fingertips.

"Ina, I love you, I love you, I love you," Jake breathed between kisses. I willed my eyes to look at his face and almost regretted it. His eyes were bloodshot and leaking a strange substance from the corners.

"Are you crying?" I asked. He grabbed my face in between both of his hands and kissed me long and hard, his heated lips pressing so hard against mine I thought my teeth were going to break.

"Good lord," someone groaned. "Get a room!"

Another loud smack.

"Dammit Leah!"

"Come on, let's give them some time alone. Jake, you're off for the rest of the day. Quil, Jared, Leah, come on let's go," Sam's voice commanded. The guys gave a mutual groan. Jake finally released my lips and wrapped his arms tight around me. I heard him sniffle every now and then, and patted his chest gently to comfort him.

"Hey, hey," I mumbled. "It's okay."

I let my arms slide around to his back, but was too weak to hold them up. They slid down to his thighs, which I was surprised to notice were bare. I felt him tense up and looked at him questioningly.

"Um, I kind of lost my shorts bag in the ocean. So, uh, don't look down!" he frowned, wiping his face with the back of his hand. I started to laugh but ended up just hacking up a lung. He swatted me on the back until I could breathe again.

"Thanks," I mumbled, although my voice cracking made it sound more like, "thaks." He chuckled, his face breaking into a brilliant, blinding smile. I tried to touch his face but was too weak. He grabbed my failing hand and placed it against his cheek, kissing my palm before smiling down at me.

Have I ever mentioned how beautiful he is?

Tanned skin glistening in the bleak sunlight, dark hair sticking up everywhere, perfect lips turned up in a smile. Eyes darkened with deep, intense emotion. I felt myself weakening, melting under his loving gaze.

"You know, you're really beautiful," he whispered.

"I was just thinking the same thing about you," I replied, smiling. He chuckled and shook his head.

"So you feeling okay?"

I thought for a moment.

"You mean besides the cheese grater against my throat and puke aftertaste? Peachy."

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head, letting my fingertips graze against his temple.

"Thank you for saving me," I breathed. He looked pained, his eyebrows knitting together in worry.

"If I hadn't been acting so damn stupid I wouldn't have had to save you in the first place. All I saw was you on the ground from Leah's perspective and thought she had done something to hurt you," he grumbled.

I shook my head, wet hair sticking to my cheek. I moved my hand behind his neck and pulled a little, trying to lean up at the same time. He looked confused at first but soon caught my drift and leaned down to my face. His long, dark eyelashes fluttered closed against his russet cheek as his lips met mine, pressing softly. He pulled back a little and turned his head in the other direction, then pressed another warm, gentle kiss on my mouth.

He pulled back and took a shuddering breath as he leaned his forehead against mine.

"Let's get you home and get changed, okay?" he mumbled.

"Why?" I replied incoherently, still dizzy from his warm kisses. He chuckled and kissed my nose.

"I don't want to be kissing you too much while I'm naked. I don't think either of us are ready for that yet. Plus you did just fall fifty feet into the Pacific Ocean in mid November."

"Oh. Right."

"You're silly."

"Well you're silly…er…"

He chuckled and looked around quickly before lifting me up. He trotted off toward the woods, eyes darting back and forth warily until we were under cover. We soon reached a clearing, and I saw his house sitting a few hundred feet away. He sprinted across the clearing and up the stairs to fling the door open. Billy Black didn't look the least bit surprised to see his son standing naked in the doorway, with me looking like a drowned rat in his arms no less. He rolled his eyes and waved Jake away.

"Close your eyes," Jake said. "Unless of course you want to see me naked, I totally wouldn't mind if you did."

"Jake."

"Sorry," he chuckled. I did as I was told and was soon placed on something soft. I heard some shuffling and then a zipper being pulled up.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now," Jake's voice said. "Here, you can wear these until we can get you back to your house."

He handed me a large black shirt and a pair of basketball shorts.

"Um, do you think you'll need help?" he asked cautiously. He looked so cute I didn't dare think bad of him and just shrugged.

"If you can help me get my shoes and jacket off I think I can manage the rest," I answered. He nodded eagerly and helped me out of them, then waved before closing the door behind him. I managed to force my weak, shivering muscles to tug off the rest of my wet clothes. I had to rest for a minute before I put on Jake's clothes, but managed to get them on with some difficulty.

A knock sounded at the door and Jake's head poked through.

"You dressed?" he asked. I nodded and he came over to sit beside me on the bed. "Still cold?" He gestured to my crossed arms and goosebumps. I didn't waste any time and snuggled in close to him to leech his wonderful warmth. He laughed and pulled the blanket over us, leaning his back against the wall. We sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. He stroked my hair and started mumbling something that sounded like a song.

"And this is my promise, you'll never be hurt," he sang, his voice low and smooth. I felt my eyes closing as I drifted off, feeling completely at peace in his warm embrace.

So I had a shapeshifter boyfriend/friends. I had fallen off a cliff and nearly died. And, I realized with a cringe, I had kissed my boyfriend after throwing up salt water and my lunch.

Oh well.

Life felt pretty darn beautiful at that moment.

"Let me save you tonight…tonight….tonight," Jake whispered in my ear.

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A/N: I forgot to mention that the song name is "Pray at the Moon" by Anek. The one I told you guys to go listen to eons ago! See, no one loves me. T_T Lol just kidding.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Look a new chapter! Sorry it's taken so long. :( Who knew college would be so freaking busy? Not me, obviously. We just started classes, and we also have a dance competition between the dorms that we've been practicing a few hours a night for. And people run up and down the hallways during the wee hours and make me want to go attack someone. Lack of sleep is not fun. DX RAWR! Anywho. **

**Here are some thanks I didn't give out last time because I was pressed for time!**

**Alice Morgan Cullen: Thanks so much for having your friends read my story! I really appreciate it!**

**MySoCalledGothSide: I make myself hungry writing this stuff. Especially now that I'm in college and have no delicious home cooked meals. T_T I miss my mommy. T_T **

**There were a few more, but I've forgotten them. DX To everyone else, thank you sooooo much for sticking with me! I'm doing my best to update as soon as possible, I promise! Please forgive me for being late all the time! **

**As it is 11:09 and my roommate gets up freakishly early, it is not time for bed. Goodnight my dears! Please review if you feel like it! Give me some hope in this bleak, penniless existence!  
**

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**Chapter 18**

Something icy was tugging me away from the warmth of Jake's arms, something cold and hard and utterly foreign. I couldn't see in the darkness, but I knew I was being kidnapped.

"Jake!" I screamed, flailing uselessly. He didn't move, and I could still hear his gentle snoring. A low, tinkling laugh rang through the air and I automatically knew it was Bella.

"He can't hear you. I've shielded us off from him. You're mine now," she said gleefully as we suddenly were transported outside. She flung me on the ground and I winced as my wrist cracked painfully beneath me. I ignored it and rolled over, kicking out as hard as I could. Bella merely laughed as pain shot up my leg from having connected with her stone hard body.

"What, scared are we? There's no reason to be scared, I just want to talk to you," she giggled. I groped for a rock and flung it at her face. She caught it in mid-air, her gleaming white teeth glittering dangerously in the moonlight.

"Careful, girl."

She was suddenly right next to me, an evil smirk on her inhumanly beautiful face.

"Why don't we take a little walk and…chat?"

I didn't like the sound of that. Try as I might, I couldn't break free of her steel handed grasp, and was drug helplessly along into the forest. I tripped quite a few times, but she didn't stop, merely dragging me along like I was some kind of rag doll. She suddenly paused a few hundred feet into the woods and dropped me. My entire body was covered in dirt and scratches from being pulled along the ground, and when I looked around Bella was no longer there.

Heart pounding, I stood up and took a step backwards, only to be knocked flat on my face by a white blur. I spit out dead leaves and dirt and sat up again, glaring at the trees around me. Each cast a skeletal shadow on the ground that clawed at me with long, emaciated fingers.

"What do you want," I said to no one in particular. I hissed as something smacked the back of my head, making black dots dance in front of my eyes. I bit back the tears and forced my head up, willing the dizziness to go away.

"Is that all you have Bella? Using your super vampire strength to pick on a human? I guess you're not really that strong after all. I'm sure you would think twice about doing that to Edward or Jake. They'd kill you," I muttered, eyes flickering back and forth. Her cackling voice surrounded me and the hair on the back of my next stood up. _Jake, I need you,_ I called out in my head, trying to project my need to Jake.

"_Jacob_ is a weakling. He wouldn't dare hurt me. He loves me," she hissed. I pang of jealousy ripped through my heart but I ignored it, remembering that I was his imprint.

"Edward would," I answered. The wind around me quieted for a moment, as if Bella had stopped in her tracks. I took the opportunity to tease her some more (smart, right? Teasing a vampire…) and tried to call for Jake again. "You know, that blood sucker you actually _abandoned_ Jake for, to become something he hates. And you call yourself a friend," I hissed.

She growled somewhere to my right and suddenly I was on back. She leaned her snarling face inches from mine and said, "Don't you insult him."

I shrugged, willing my heart to calm down. Feeling a little arrogant, I continued with my I'm-totally-not-scared charade and smirked.

"Why not? You insult Jake all the time, I think I have the right to make fun of him a little, ri—"

My head snapped so hard to the right I thought it was going to fall off. My vision was spotty and my jaw ached horrendously. I blinked a few times and tried to talk but it hurt to move my mouth. My tongue tasted wet and metallic, and something warm trickled down the side of my face. Bella hissed and inhaled deeply, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as her irises turned a deep, bloody crimson. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as her face neared the delicate skin on my neck.

"_My _Edward is none of your concern. As is _my _Jacob. I knew him before you did, before you were even thought of. I _loved_ him before you, so don't act all high and mighty just because he imprinted on you," she hissed, nose pressed against my jugular.

"Mom?" a quiet voice asked.

Bella froze, her eyes widening as she looked to our left. She stood up quickly, backing away hesitantly.

"Bella? What are you doing here?" another more masculine voice asked. Bella's eyes flickered between the pair of voices and me, mouth slightly agape in shock. I blinked and suddenly a woman of about twenty was kneeling beside me, her long auburn curls tickling my face as she glanced over me.

"Mom, did you do this? The wolves are not going to be very happy," she said matter-of-factly. Leaves crunched underneath a pair of leather booted feet that walked into my view. A man kneeled beside the woman, his golden eyes dark and conflicted looking.

"She's Jacob's imprint," he said quietly. The woman beside him gasped in horror, covering her mouth with her hands. The man traced my forehead with icy fingers, sighing.

"Your name is Ina, am I correct?" he asked. I suddenly realized I was surrounded by vampires and nodded, tears finally trickling out of the corner of my eyes. My mouth still hung awkwardly open, but I could do nothing to shut it.

"Don't be afraid, okay? I hear Jacob coming. Bella, you'd better leave, he's frantic. Renesmee, escort your mother home and don't let her out of your sight," the man ordered.

"Edward," Bella said weakly, her face contorted in pain. The woman, Renesmee, nodded and took a firm hold of Bella's (her mother?) arm, and both were gone in a flash. Edward watched after them for a moment before taking my hand in his. I shivered uncontrollably, but his touch was slightly comforting. Obviously he wasn't going to hurt me, and somehow I felt a sense of calm reassuring emanating from him. I watched his face as he stared into the woods, his jaw clenched and his eyes blank. I wondered when Jake was going to arrive, and his eyes flashed down at me as he smiled slightly.

"He will be here in just a moment," he said quietly.

Sure enough, a loud, thunderous crashing noise was coming closer and closer. Edward gently released my hand and stood up, then was suddenly slammed into a nearby oak. I heard it crack and stared in amazement as it slowly fell over.

Jake was standing close to Edward with his arm pressed against Edward's neck, snarling and breathing heavily. Edward struggled to push him away but was no match. He glanced down at me, golden eyes pleading. I tried to move my mouth but it wasn't working, so I settled for whatever noise I could manage to make. Unfortunately, Jake didn't hear.

"What did you do to her? What did _she_ do to her?" he snarled violently.

"I did nothing. Bella has been getting a little out of control lately," Edward rasped, his voice barely audible. Jake growled and slammed Edward back into the broken tree.

"Damn right, she has. Isn't it your job to watch her, leech?"

Edward closed his eyes, and by the way his fingers curled into the tree bark I knew he was in some serious pain. Jake suddenly pulled him up, holding him in the air by the throat.

"If you don't answer me, I swear I'll rip you apart right here and now," he bellowed. Edward flung his legs in the air uselessly, white fingers clawing at Jake's clamped hand. I tried to call out to him again but it still wasn't working. I felt my eyes burning with heat as a sickening crack rang through the air and Edward cried out. I screamed as his dismembered arm landed beside my head and flung myself back until I hit a tree, my bare feet digging into the mass of dead leaves that covered the ground. I felt the shattered bones in my face grind together, and black dots danced in front of my eyes as Edward was suddenly dropped to the ground. Jake was soon in front of me, warm hands stroking my face gently.

"Honey, I'm so sorry I let this happen to you I didn't know anything please forgive me!" he pleaded. His hands pressed against my face and I choked as blood started trickling down my throat. His eyes widened and he immediately let go, then swiftly put his arms under me and picked me up. I felt his body trembling horribly as he looked back at Edward's broken body lying on the ground.

"I'll deal with you later. Expect a visit from the wolf pack," he growled. Edward nodded to Jake, and I watched his over Jake's shoulder as I was swept away. Edward picked up his arm and waved it at me before staggering back into the dark forest.

Jake raced along through the forest at an alarming rate, mumbling incoherently under his breath. He glanced down at me often, his dark chocolate eyes tortured. Soon we broke out of the forest and raced along the pavement for a little while before we came upon a huge building. Jake almost ran into the automatic doors before they opened, and jittered impatiently until they opened. The smell of disinfectant hit me and I knew we were in a hospital. Jake raced into an adjoining waiting area, head whipping around frantically.

"Somebody help me!" he screamed.

There was a flurry of commotion as nurses wheeled a gurney into the waiting room. Jake set me down gently upon it and jogged beside the bed until there were too many nurses surrounding for him to follow any longer. He held out his hand to me, his face a mix of anguish and sadness, and I stared into his eyes until the double doors closed, separating us.

The next few hours were a blur.

I remember being wheeled into some kind of waiting room and then a guy coming in with some kind of medicine, but nothing after that.

I woke up in a dimly lit hospital room, wearing a blue gown and covered by a thin white sheet. I was freezing and my face hurt like something terrible.

"Ina?" a husky voice whispered. Warmth enclosed my right hand and I looked over to see Jathan sitting beside my bed, his eyes full of concern. "Dammit, girl, if you keep getting yourself into messes like this I'm going to go gray before I'm twenty-five!"

I tried to apologize but found that my mouth had been wired shut.

I looked over to see my mom sleeping in a chair at the end of my bed, but no Jake in sight. I stared at Jathan with the most meaningful look I could give and he sighed, patting my hand before getting up.

"I'll go get him. The nurses wouldn't let him in since he's not family," he explained, smirking a little. I resisted the urge to throw my pillow at him and waited impatiently until Jake came into the room. He was a mess, his hair sticking up everywhere and his body covered in cuts and bruises. He rushed over to my side and took my weirdly pale hand in his large, warm ones.

"Ina, honey?" he asked, his voice cracking a little in the middle. I used the little bit of strength I had to tug on his fingers, eyes pleading with him in need. He blinked a few times as the emotion hit him and nodded, ignoring the protests of my older brother as he gently climbed into bed beside me. His warmth was extremely welcome, his large body comforting even though the weight of him made the bed groan in protest beneath us. Jathan huffed in exasperation and mumbled something about Leah before walking out of the room, leaving Jake and I basically alone. My mom snored gently in the corner as Jake showered kisses upon my bandaged head, his big arms wrapping tightly around me.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled, burying his face into my shoulder. I shrugged and patted his head, the wire from my IV waving around with the movement. "I'm a horrible imprint," he groaned. I shook my head furiously in disagreement and instantly regretted it as a wave of dizziness overtook me. I flopped back against the pillow and moaned. Jake pulled me against him and whispered quietly in my ear, running his fingers over my arm until I felt sleep pulling at me once more.

I was rudely awakened by a bright light flicking on and burning my retinas. I made disgruntled noises as I blinked my eyes open to see a man in a white coat standing beside my bed. He had a clip board in his hands and was glaring at Jake behind me.

"Family only is allowed in the room," he said through clenched teeth. Jake growled threateningly and I quickly grabbed the doctor's clipboard and scribbled something down. He read it, then looked at me warily with an arched eyebrow.

"He's your fiancé," he said in disbelief. I nodded and reached back to pat Jake's arm affectionately.

"Yeah, that's right," Jake answered, using his deep, super manly voice. The doctor rolled his eyes and sighed, then scribbled some notes down. He checked my temperature and asked about my level of pain before adjusting a machine. Jake grumbled until he finally left, and watched him walk out of the room. My mom was standing at the door with a confused look on her face, holding a Coke and a fudge round in her hands. She glanced over and smiled brightly, then took Jathan's previous seat beside my bed.

"You're awake!" she said cheerily. I reached for the tantalizing fudge round but she snatched it away and waggled a finger at me. "No solid food for a while, only liquids!" she chastised. I groaned and rolled over into Jake's chest, pretending to cry. She giggled and I heard the package open.

I refused to look at her for the rest of the day.

I spent most of my time in the hospital sleeping, but when I wasn't asleep Jake was forcing straw-fulls of chicken broth or apple juice down my throat. We were woken up by Quil snapping pictures a few times, until Leah finally stole his camera away. The rest of the guys came to visit when they could, and Emily often dropped by with a few bowls of some sort of delicious soup that I eagerly slurped up.

I was allowed to go home after two days. I couldn't help but laugh as Jake blatantly refused to allow anyone but him to carry me out of the hospital, even though my legs weren't damaged. He received more than a few stares as we stalked out of the hospital.

Jake became extremely protective as the week wore on. He somehow managed to finagle my brother into letting him stay with me in my room, and even drove me back and forth from school (Embry was devastated…not). He fed me, tried to clothe and bathe me, and even sang me to sleep.

Not that I didn't mind the attention, but it was getting to be a little too much.

"JAKE!" I scribbled in big bold letters across the writing pad I had been given as a form of communication. I held it up in front of his face and scowled as he tried to wrangle me out of my pajamas. He look dumbfounded for a moment before he finally released the legs of my pants, then stood up and crossed his arms.

"What?" he asked.

"I can change myself. Only my jaw is broken," I wrote.

"Your wrist is hurt," he reasoned, cocking an eyebrow. I glanced at my bandaged wrist and moved it around with ease.

"It's just a sprain, nothing big. Chill, okay? You don't have to worry so much."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked a little put out, so I quickly tried to make him feel better.

"I know you're just trying to help, so thank you. I love you!" I wrote, putting a big heart at the end. He smiled and chuckled, then looked at me with a quirky grin.

"You're such a dork," he said, his eyes sparkling with laughter. He leaned in closer, his eyes closed in a half lidded smile as he placed a gentle kiss against my lips. I did my best to pucker my lips but it was a little hard. He pulled back and sighed, sticking his bottom lip out in a cute frown. I cocked an eyebrow at him in question and he frowned even deeper.

"I don't get to kiss you for real for at least six weeks!" he groaned. I smacked his arm and playfully scowled at him. He smiled and pulled me back against his chest as we fell to the bed. He sighed contentedly, leaning his head against mine. After a few moments he gently pulled me up to face him, wrapping an arm around my waist as he pressed me closer against him.

"Why are you such a troublemaker?" he chuckled, tracing my jaw line. I shrugged. He sighed and kissed my nose. "I know it's not your fault. I just don't get what Bella's deal is," he grumbled. I tensed at the mention of her name, my heart automatically pumping to full speed. He sensed the changed and shook his head at me, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Don't you be afraid of her. That's what she wants. If she ever gets close to you again, I'll rip her filthy head off her shoulders," he snarled. I shook my head at him. I wasn't too fond of Bella, but I didn't want Jake to become a murderer either. He frowned and rested his head against his arm, staring at me in thought. I tried to stare back but ended up blushing.

What?

You try staring a beautiful guy in the face for five minutes straight and tell me how it goes. Seriously. I'd like to know how you do it. Because I have a feeling I'll be staring this beautiful guy in the face for years and years to come. Crap, blushing more now.

He chuckled and skimmed his hand down my side, letting it come to rest on my hip. He squeezed gently as I hid my face in the crook of his neck.

"Let me ask again…do I make you nervous, Ina Call?" he whispered in a low voice. I attempted to shake my head but froze when I felt his warm fingers toying with the edge of my shirt. The breath hitched in my throat as he traced the small sliver of exposed skin at my hip. I quickly shook my head and pushed my hands firmly against him until I was an arm length away, then looked at him unsurely. He chuckled and wrapped his hands around my wrists, then brought them to his lips to kiss them. I scrambled for my writing pad and scribbled something down, then cocked an eyebrow at him. He gaped at first, but then burst out laughing.

"Yes, Ina, I am very sexually frustrated," he chuckled, waggling his eyebrows at me. I scribbled again and held up the pad for him to read. He laughed even more and buried his face in the pillow to hide the sound. "I am not a cheeky bastard!" he laughed in protest. I crossed my arms and glared at him. He glared right back.

Of course he won.

Cursed sexy eyes of his making me melt before I could win.

Unbelievably, the weeks flew by. We celebrated Jared's birthday and I was super excited that I could actually take small bites of cake. Turkey, however, was another story. Quil chewed up bits of meat and tried to get me to swallow them, but fortunately Jake cut in. He actually thought it was a good idea, and had to be swatted by Emily a few times before he finally gave up. The rest of Thanksgiving was spent huddled up around a bonfire as Sam told us ghost stories.

"And then the flashlight lit upon something pale sticking out of the ground. The policeman went over to investigate and found out that it was indeed the hand of Old Man Jenkins," he said in a low voice. Jared groaned and fell off the log he was sitting on while Kim held tightly to his hand.

"Wasn't that on an episode of Criminal Minds or something like that?" Embry asked thoughtfully. Sam looked alarmed for a moment but immediately covered it up by giving a loud boisterous laugh.

"Of course not! That story is one hundred percent oh-riginal, my boy," he said.

"Whatever. It's my turn now," Embry grinned. "Gather in close everyone."

We listened quietly as Embry related a tale of monsters and dead bodies in the forest.

"Jessie went back to the shack that Sarah disappeared at. It was a cold autumn night, just like tonight. The wind blew hard, shuddering through the branches and making the shadows dance on the ground."

At that moment, the wind blew hard, making the hood of my jacket fall off. The fire swayed violently, sparks flying everywhere. I shivered and Jake tucked me closer in to him.

"Scared?" he whispered in my ear. I shook my head, determined not to betray my silly emotions.

Embry's eyes glanced around and he smirked, making his voice low as he spoke again.

"Jessie had almost made it to the shack when he heard something run past him. He looked behind him, but nothing was there. He tried to shake it off and kept walking, but something ran in front of him too. He paused, looking around warily until his eyes landed on a white spot peeking out from behind a tree. He sighed in relief when a little girl stepped out. She was pale, her little pink dress dirty and torn.

She held out her hand to him and puckered her bottom lip out. Jessie looked around for whatever it was that was moving around, but the forest was silent, except for the clacking of the tree branches above him. He walked toward the little girl and hesitantly took her hand, which was inhumanly warm. Scalding even. Jessie jerked his hand back as the girl gave a wicked smile. Her face started melting, her body contorting as she turned into a huge, hairy—"

"Vampire," Seth interrupted.

"What? No, it was a—"

"No! There's a vampire coming stupid!" Seth hissed. The guys immediately jumped up and circled around Emily, Kim, and I. Paul ran out of Emily's house, towing May behind him. She looked around confusedly, but shrugged and came to stand beside me. The pack looked around, eyes searching the surrounding area for any sign of movement.

My heart pounded within the confines of my chest, trying to break through the layers of bone, muscle, and skin. Jake backed against me and reached for my hand, eyebrows furrowed together. His head snapped to the right and he growled, then breached the circle to wrap me tight against him. The guys circled in closer, their bodies trembling and heaving with each breath they took.

"It's that bitch," Paul snarled, baring his elongated teeth to the trees. There is only one woman that Paul will call a bitch to her face.

"Everyone stay in position until we knew where she is," Sam ordered. The guys nodded but Leah groaned in protest.

"Let me at her, I can take her," she hissed, pawing the ground with her bare feet.

I trembled along with Jake, but for a different reason. I thought about the day behind me, about Mom's famous pecan pie and Emily's delicious, pineapple smothered giant ham, Jake's laughter and the guys playing around with each other in the grass.

"Jake, I don't want you guys to get hurt," I sniffled. Jake's face slowly relaxed from its snarl and he looked down at me, his eyes dark and glittering in the firelight.

"We won't. This is our job," he reasoned. He tipped my face up and leaned down until I was inches from his face. "Believe in us. That's all we need," he breathed. I nodded, fingers clenching in his shirt as I buried my face into his chest.

A swift wind blew and I heard something circling around us at an extremely fast pace. It stopped suddenly, and I peeked out from the protection of Jake's large biceps. When the dust cleared, a pale face was standing stark against the darkness of the night.

"I want to talk to you, Jacob," Bella said calmly. Her eyes flickered toward me and she glared, her eyes swimming with crimson.

_Not again,_ I thought miserably.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm evil for leaving you guys hanging like that. I apologize. -bow- Be warned, there is a tad bit of language in this one. I hate using the f-bomb, or any curses in general (as you can probably tell, since I don't use them that often). I would much rather come up with something creative, like, "DON'T YOU FISH-STICKING TOUCH HER!" but I don't think that would get the stress of the situation across. XD **

**bellasucksballs: You, my friend, made me giggle very much! **

**littlehampir13: While the thought of killing Bella is tempting, I do think Edward is a good guy (though a creeper) and would not like to hurt his feelings (although he kind of deserves it...nah, Jake can do better than Bella so it's good that Eddie came back). :( Will seriously maiming her suffice? :D**

**Things occurring in my life you guys probably care nothing about: **

**1)I dyed the tips of my hair red! :D 2) I just found out there's an anime con close by and I am SUPER excited about it. Any ideas of who I should cosplay as (if any of you like anime, that is)? Feel free to suggest your favorites! (I'm thinking Axel from Kingdom Hearts 2, because I LOVE that boy...I'm not sure I can make the Organization cloak though. T_T )**

**Enough of annoying you guys! Sorry, I'm really lonely so far away from home in my cold college dorm. T_T Thanks to all who reviewed/favorited/alerted! I really appreciate it! :)**

**Disclaimer: Haven't done this in a while, so I think it's time. -sigh- Obviously I do not own anything Twilight related. If I did, Bella would cease to exist, Edward would find someone actually worth his time, and Jacob would be the happiest man alive ever. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

The tension in the air was so thick it was suffocating.

Bella stood with her arms crossed, eerily still due to the lack of breathing in her lifeless body. The wolf pack glanced around nervously, their eyes flickering between Jake and Bella. Jake moved me to stand behind him, keeping on hand on my hip.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of the whole pack," Jake stated, his voice pure venom. Bella let her eyes roam over the pack, a small smile gracing her frozen lips.

"Good idea," she smirked. Her face contorted with anger, her jewel toned eyes locking on Jake as if she were a viper about to strike. "You hurt my Edward. I daresay you know what that means for your…mate."

I felt Jake tense and the group shifted into a tighter circle around us. Leah let out an exploding snarl and lunged forward, only to be held back by Paul and Sam. She snapped at both of them and glared back at Bella.

"Leah, calm down," Sam ordered, his voice ringing deep with authority. Leah stopped snarling but her body still trembled. Sam watched her for a moment before stepping forward, nodding at Paul. I watched in horror as Sam's bulky form walked dangerously close to the demon woman, his muscles bulging to their full size.

"Are you saying you're going to break the treaty, Isabella?" he asked calmly. Bella's eyes narrowed at the sound of her full name, but she kept them trained on Jake. His grip on my hip was getting painful, but I remained tucked into his back.

Bella was going to break the treaty because of me? What did I do?

I shivered uncontrollably at the memory of Jake ripping Edward's arm off, his face a mix of hatred and wild fury. I jumped as Bella's honey-arsenic voice floated through the air.

"An eye for an eye, I always say. Or in this case, an arm for an arm," she hissed. I hasped as Jake's fingers dug bruises into my hip, his body rumbling with a deep growl.

"What is this crazy lady talking about?" May whispered in my ear. She looked not the least bit frightened, her big green eyes narrowed in suspicion. I put a finger to my lips to silence her, but she merely rolled her eyes and stood back, crossing her arms. Ah, to be innocent again.

"Oh, don't worry about her now. I'm not stupid enough to take on all of you at once," Bella stated arrogantly.

"But stupid enough to come tell us about it. I mean, really?"Collin snorted. Sam growled at him in warning. Bella chuckled and I could feel her crimson eyes piercing through Jake's body to glare at me.

"I'll come when you least expect it. When you think you're safe. And I'll rip you apart right in front of Jacob's eyes," she hissed. I clung closer to Jake's body as he snarled threateningly, squeezing my eyes shut and counting to three to pretend it was a dream that I would wake up from any second. There was a sound of rushing wind and then silence. I opened my eyes and glanced around. Bella was gone.

"Yeah, you'd better run you pale faced ninny!" May growled, shaking her fist at the dark forest ahead of us. Paul chuckled and came to stand beside her, slinging one arm around her shoulder and kissing her frowning face affectionately.

"That's my girl. You aren't scared of no vamps are you?" he smiled. May turned to him, her eyes full of question.

"Vamps? What have you been smoking, dude?" she asked. Paul stood there looking sappy for a moment before he eventually snapped out of his daze.

"Um, I mean, she's pale and scary like one, right?" he stammered. May shrugged.

Sam pushed through the crowd to stand in front of Jake. They stared into each other's eyes, seeming to read the other's thoughts even without being in wolf form. Jake nodded and released my hip, instead gripping my hand. He pulled me into the house and shut the door behind him, then took me to sit on the couch. He sighed and leaned back, not releasing my hand, and rubbed his face.

"Can I have a hug?" he asked suddenly. He held open his arms and I threw myself against him, feeling instantly comforted in his arms. I gave him the biggest squeeze I could manage and smacked a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for protecting me," I said, smiling at him. He shook his head, but his mouth twitched suspiciously as if he were hiding a smile.

"I'd give my life to protect you, Ina," he said. His eyes gazed at me with intense emotion and I felt myself slowly melting to the floor. He looked confused for a moment before he picked me up and set me on his lap.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly. I nodded and he frowned before pulling me into his chest. "I think you need some rest. We'll stay here tonight, okay?"

"Will Mom and Jathan be okay?" I asked.

"We'll send someone over there to keep watch. I don't think they'll be in any trouble since it's you Bella wants," he replied matter-of-factly. I felt a chill run through me and shivered.

"Why does she hate me so much?" I wheezed, my lungs feeling constricted. His mouth turned down into a tight frown and he sighed.

"It's my stupid fault. Basically, since I hurt Edward she thinks she has a right to hurt you."

I squirmed uncomfortably at that thought, imagining Bella's arctic fingers closing around my throat. Jake noticed and hugged me closer to him, his eyes staring off into space.

"I won't let her," he said hoarsely.

Sam and Emily let us stay in their spare room without us even having to ask. Sam assured me that a few members of the pack were out patrolling, while others were stationed either at my house or around his for extra safety.

Emily came some time later with a pile of pajamas for me to borrow, a smile quirking her marred lips.

"She's so dangerous, that girl is so dangerous, that girl is a bad girl," she sang teasingly. I shook my head at her and took the clothes, then walked into the bathroom to change. When I came back out she was leaning against the wall.

"So, how does it feel to be on the black list of a vampire?" she asked, grinning widely. I cocked an eyebrow at her in question.

"You sound pretty gleeful about the situation," I remarked. She giggled.

"Oh, I hope that girl dares to come here. Sam looks so sexy when he fights," she sighed.

"Um, you mean with the fur and teeth and everything?" I gaped. She nodded and I smacked my palm against my forehead. I heard a high pitched squeal and when I looked up Emily was being held up in Sam's arms.

"Talking about me behind my back?" he chuckled. Emily batted her eyelashes and smiled.

"You know it," she replied. I groaned and quickly walked back to the spare room to avoid seeing anything embarrassing. Jake was sitting on the end of the bed just staring at the wall, still fully dressed.

"Jake?" I asked, walking over in front of him. He grunted in reply, but kept staring off into space. I waved my hand in front of his face and did a little dance but he didn't budge, his body tense with stress. I huffed and squatted down to begin unlacing his shoes, then pulled them off. He finally stopped staring at the wall and looked at me curiously.

"Earth to Jake, it's time for bed," I teased.

"Oh."

He shrugged off his shirt but still sat there at the end of the bed, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. I rolled my eyes and pushed against his shoulders, and amazingly he actually reacted and grabbed my wrists.

"I'm not sleeping," he stated. I continued trying to push him back against the bed, but my puny human arms were no match against his body of pure muscle. I jumped behind him and tried to pull him, but that didn't work either. He suddenly whipped around, making me fall back against the mattress. He leaned over me and glared.

"Down, girl. Stay," he ordered while pulling the blanket up around me. "Go to sleep. I'm going to keep watch." He watched me with a raised eyebrow until I closed my eyes. I peeked through one eyelid and he shook his head at me, so I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

It didn't work.

Even though Jake was close, I felt unprotected. I hugged my arms around myself and curled up into a ball, squeezing my eyes shut against the visions of pale skin and crimson eyes. I heard Jake sigh, then the bed creaked as his huge form crawled over to lay beside me.

"Your heart is beating really fast. You scared?" he asked, kissing my forehead. I opened one eye and peeked at him.

"No, I'm having naughty thoughts about you," I managed to say with a straight face. His eyebrows shot up into his hairline and I laughed, taking the opportunity to snuggle into him while he was frozen with shock.

"Liar," he hissed, chuckling.

"How would you know?" I asked teasingly. He patted his nose with his index finger and grinned.

"I could smell it if you were," he smirked. I flinched and rolled over to hide my blushing face.

"And that effectively ends that conversation," I said simply. He chuckled and I felt his arms wrap around me from behind as he buried his face into my hair. His breath heated the back of my neck and made me shiver.

"Don't worry about a thing, okay? I'm here to protect you no matter what. We all are," he breathed. I nodded and sighed as his warmth enveloped me. He started humming, his voice quiet at first, but soon I could pick out the words to my favorite song. I smiled and closed my eyes.

_I will be your light in the dark_

_I will be the fire of your heart_

_I will always be close to you_

_I will always, always love you_

A week passed without any sign of a threat from Bella, but we knew she was in the area. The guys said her scent was so strong it made their eyes water. They had trouble trying to catch her because of her shielding abilities, but she definitely made her presence known. Brady limped naked up to Sam's house one night bleeding a waterfall out of his nose and cursing like a sailor.

"I almost had her!" he whined while Emily tended to his wounds.

"You're all talk, pup," she chuckled. He grumbled under his breath while the other guys made fun of him.

Whether we liked it or not, we all had to return to school eventually. Sam refused to let the guys get comfortable, and still kept a few of the older ones out at night patrolling. He and Leah both were worn down from staying up all night almost every night, while Paul, Quil, Embry, and Jared took turns staying up with them. Jake was attached to my side at all times, shooting worried glances around as we drove or walked around the halls at school. With all the protection I had, I felt like the Godfather or something.

Seth and his cronies felt it was their utmost duty to terrorize anyone that even glanced at me. They'd walk down the hall in front of Jake and I hooting and pushing people out of the way like some kind of messed up body guards. I squirmed under all the attention they were making me get, not only from the jealous girls but also from the very annoyed guys. I told them they were taking it a bit too far when Seth chased a squirrel halfway down the street because it had 'looked at me the wrong way.'

"Aw, come on. We're just having fun," Collin argued. I cocked an eyebrow at him and then turned to Seth.

"Seth, can you please stop pretending like I'm the president's daughter or something?"

He grinned.

"Just taking care of our little sister who we love so dearly," he smirked from his towering height above me, patting me on the head. I stared at him for a moment before kicking him in the shin, which hurt my toe more than it did his leg.

"Jerk! Respect your elders!" I hissed while limping away in defeat.

I flipped through the static filled radio stations as Jake drove me to school. His fingers were gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white, and he kept taking deep breaths and glancing around with crazy wide eyes. I reached over and squeezed his leg in an attempt to comfort him, but only made him jump.

"Don't do that," he snapped. I quickly grabbed my hand back, feeling like I had been stung. He winced and grabbed my hand to place it on his knee again, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry I'm being a jerk. I haven't been getting much sleep," he said, looking at me with sad eyes.

"I know," I whispered back, remembering waking up to empty arms as Jake paced the floor at night. He sighed as we reached a stop sign, closing his shadowed eyes as he pressed my hand to his lips.

"I'm really sorry," he mumbled at my skin. I shook my head.

"It's not your fault," I replied, feeling my whole arm tingling from his touch. He sighed again and cupped my hand against his cheek, his expression miserable.

"Yes it is. It's entirely my fault."

I scooted over to him and wrapped him into a hug, resting my chin on his head.

"It's not your fault I'm sexy and make Bella jealous," I joked. I felt him smile against my neck and that made my day. His beautiful smiles had been scarce since the incident with Bella and Edward. He pulled away slightly and looked at me with half lidded eyes, his oddly pale cheeks glowing pink with happiness.

"I'll not sleep for five hundred years, as long as you're safe," he said. He leaned in slightly, the corners of his full lips turned up into a small smile.

There was a loud bang and the Rabbit lurched over to one side. I tumbled over against Jake and looked around, confused.

"Ina, get down!" he barked, pushing me down against the seat as something rammed into the car, making it roll across the road. The world was turned upside down and right side up over and over again, the roof of the car seeming to close in upon us as we tumbled into a ditch. I fell against the gear shift and gasped as it dug painfully into my ribs before being slammed against Jake and the roof once again. We finally came to a stop at the bottom of the ditch, gasping for air in the tight space the interior of the car had been reduced to.

"J-Jake I can't b-breath," I gasped out, beginning to panic when I couldn't get any oxygen into my bruised lungs.

"I'm sorry, honey, I'm trying to get us out of here," he answered as he broke the rest of the glass out of the windshield with his fist.

There was no need.

Grating metal screamed against my ears as the right side of the car was torn off. I heard Jake growl but it was cut off as he was thrown out of the car. Bella's sneering face appeared where the door had been, her teeth bared in a sick smile as her hand shot out and grabbed me by the hair. She yanked me out of the car and let me dangle in the air for a moment before she threw me against the rocky ground. I felt a sharp stinging and then warm liquid trickling down my face. I watched Bella inhale deeply and willed my heart to stop beating so fast as she stalked over to me.

There was a roar and Bella was screaming as a large russet wolf bit down on her shoulder, his fangs digging so deep her frozen skin cracked like a falling glacier. She grabbed hold of Jake's fur and threw him over her shoulder, but he took a chunk of her with him. He landed with a yelp on a pile of rocks and staggered to his feet, shook his head, then lunged again. Bella was ready for him this time, and I watched in horror as she and Jake whipped around each other, a biting, snarling mass of fur and ice. Jake tripped for just a second and Bella had her arms wrapped around his chest, her face contorted as she slowly crushed him in her arms. Jake snarled and yelped and I did the first thing that came to mind, grabbing a huge sharp rock and slamming it against her head. She hissed and dropped Jake to the ground, whipping around to grab me by the throat.

"You think you're brave, don't you?" she snarled, her face marred by jagged cracks through her skin. My worst dreams were coming true as her icy fingers began crushing my trachea, cutting off my oxygen. Her eyes were wild, swimming with bloodlust as she yanked me in close to her.

I heard a scream as she bit down on my shoulder.

Pain like I had never felt before raced through my veins like poison, tracing a searing trail through my body. I vaguely felt her teeth being ripped out of my skin as I collapsed to the ground, my vision going white. Someone was screaming so loud it hurt my ears. I felt like was on fire and drowning at the same time. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to move. Heck, it hurt to exist.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER!" Jake roared.

I couldn't breathe anymore, and my heart sputtered pathetically in my chest at the sound of his voice. I felt wet tears burning down the side of my face as I gasped for air, my throat constricting into a small hole that barely kept me alive. Every atom in my body was screaming with raw, blazing pain.

"Jacob, she's going to die if I don't," a melodic voice said calmly.

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH HER!" Jake snarled.

"Jacob. Ina. Will. Die."

I tried to call out his name in the blinding whiteness, but could only manage the first syllable. Another wave of pain ripped through me and my back arched off the rocky ground beneath me. The ear splitting scream, which I realized was my own, shattered the silence again. It was a while before my throat constricted again, effectively cutting off my air long enough to make the stark white world go black.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Look OMG! An update like two days after the last one! =O I couldn't leave you guys hanging like that. :) **

**Slower Than Stampeding Turtles: I had no idea what a dirty sanchez was until you told me to make Bella do it with her own arm. Thank you for that, um, interesting bit of information. XD  
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**Stark-Raving-Mad-xD: See, that's exactly what I'm talking about! Bum-oley is a fine substitute for any other such words. XD**

**96: Bahaha, your 'oh my chocolate god' made me crack up! And made me have to run to get some Hershey's. :)**

**PocketPam: You're not creepy, I'm flattered! My friend does the same thing, so no need to worry, lol.**

**WARNING: Lots of fluff at the end. You thought I was going to say smut, weren't you? Naughty reader. XD Ah, there was something else I was going to say but I forgot. Oh! Incase you guys are wondering, the song Jake keeps singing to Ina is 'Pray at the Moon' by Anek. It's one of my favorites and fits Jake perfectly (probably because it was written for him lol). Thanks for the reviews/alerts/favorites! And of course for taking the time to read my story! Do enjoy!**

**PS: I just read over this and didn't spell check it. I think you'll forgive me. :) As it IS 11:45 and I have to wake up around 6:30 or so tomorrow because I have a THREE HOUR LAB at 8:15. Yes, I do love you guys more than sleep sometimes. You're welcome. :)  
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* * *

**Chapter 20**

_**Beep…beep…beep…**_

_Boy, does that sound familiar, _I thought, cracking my eyes open to reveal that I, once again, was in a hospital room. My entire body ached and my throat felt like it had been rubbed with a cheese grater. I attempted to sit up and instantly regretted it as my body retailiated. I groaned and leaned back against the bed, squeezing my eyes shut against the wave of pain that overcame me.

"H…hey kiddo," a husky voice whispered. I opened my eyes and turned my head a few inches to the right to see Jake lying on a bed beside me. His beautiful face was covered in scratches and scabs, his skin covered by a thin sheet of sweat. His hand reached out to me and I moved to take it, our fingers barely touching at the tips. Tears formed in my eyes as I glanced over his broken body.

From what I could see, his ribcage was heavily bandaged, his left leg held up in a sling and covered by a cast. His skin was slashed in quite a few places. The most noticable one was a deep cut above his heart that was sewn together with heavy stitching.

"Oh Jake," I croaked, willing my arm to be rubber so that I could stretch and touch him. His eyebrows scrunched together and he frowned, his chocolate eyes saddened.

"Aw honey, don't cry. We're both alive, that's all that matters, okay?" he whispered. He searched around for something with his free hand and eventually found it, then clicked the small button repeatedly. After a few seconds a nurse came rushing into the room, followed by a tall, pale, extremely handsome doctor.

"Everything okay, Jacob?" the doctor asked. His golden eyes flickered between the two of us and I scrambled back against the headboard as realization hit, my eyes wide with fear.

"Y-you're a v-v-v—" I stammered, looking around for something to throw. I caught Jake's eyes and he shook his head at me.

"You can trust Dr. Cullen," he said. I gulped and nodded, taking a deep breath before relaxing a little under my covers. Dr. Cullen motioned to the nurse, who nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. The blonde leaned against Jake's bed and crossed his arms, smiling gently at me.

"How are you feeling, Miss Call?" he asked, his voice smooth and calm.

"Okay, I guess," I answered, gazing at him in wonder. Jake chuckled and winked at me.

"She's a fighter. Getting beaten up by leeches is nothing new to her," he smiled. Dr. Cullen's face twitched slightly at the mention of the fight, but it was quickly smoothed back into a smiling mask.

"I'm sorry that happened to you. Do you mind if I check your wounds?," he asked, his voice sounding sincerely regretful. I glanced over at Jake, who seemed completely relaxed enough, and decided that Dr. Cullen really could be trusted. I nodded and he stood up, then carefully unwound the bandages around my arm and shoulder to reveal a particularly nasty looking bite mark. I saw Jake wince at the sight and he quickly moved his eyes to look up at my face instead.

"It's coming along quite well. You were lucky that Edward was trailing her, or you would have been, ah, indisposed for a very long time," Dr. Cullen chuckled. Jake gave him a dark look before looking back at me.

"Edward saved your life, Ina," he said. I cocked an eyebrow in confusion and Jake sighed, looking at Dr. Cullen for help. I jumped as his cold fingers grazed my skin.

"I apologize," he mumbled, reaching for a familiar looking jar. He dipped his gloved fingers in and slathered the gooey substance over the bite wound, which felt warm and soothing. He put the remainder of the wolf spit from his fingers on a cut above my eyebrow and cheek, then bandaged me back up with clean binding. He removed his gloves and leaned against Jake's bed again.

"Do you remember anything about what happened?" he asked. I thought for a moment before replying.

"I remember up until Bella grabbed me. Then it goes white after that."

He nodded in understanding.

"Ina, Bella bit you there—" he pointed to my shoulder, "and that whiteness was part of you turning into a vampire. You were dying."

My eyes widened and panic started to overwhelm me, but luckily reason shoved its way through my clouded brain and reminded me that I would probably know if I were dead.

"How am I alive now then?" I asked, my hands trembling slightly. Dr. Cullen smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling with the expression.

"Edward had been following Bella for some time. He knew what she was planning on doing based on the thoughts he had gleaned from the pack members, and was trying to keep it from happening. Unfortunately, Bella is the only person Edward cannot read, so she used that to her advantage and lost him on several occasions. He heard Jacob's thoughts screaming out to you and that's how he found you," Dr. Cullen explained.

I glanced over at Jake, who looked more than a little pale. He caught me staring at him, his eyes dark and pained.

"Worst experience I have ever gone through. I thought I was going to lose you," he said hoarsely. I reached out to him again and grazed his fingertips with my own, reassuring him that I was okay.

"What happened after that?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of Jake.

"Well, Edward—"

"Edward got to her before I could. He ripped her apart with his own hands," Jake grunted. My eyes widened at this. From what I have seen and heard, Edward loves Bella more than anything in this world. I couldn't even imagine the strength it took for him to do what he did.

"Is she…?" I asked, trailing off at the end. Dr. Cullen shook his head.

"She's still alive, just dismantled. Edward took her parts far north, where no human could survive, so that she can get herself, ah, pulled together," Dr. Cullen answered, chuckling at his joke. Jake rolled his eyes.

"She tried to literally rip my heart out before Edward got there," Jake grumbled, poking at the stitches on his chest.

"So he saved both of our lives," I said, smiling at him. He shrugged and looked up at the ceiling with a slight blush on his cheeks. I turned back to Dr. Cullen and asked, "Will he be back?"

"Yes, eventually. He and Bella have a few things to take care of first," he answered, eyeing the covered bite mark.

"If there is any way to contact him…could you tell him that I say thank you? For me and Jake both. His kindness has actually saved me three times now," I mumbled.

"Three times?" Jake questioned, his head cocked to the side like a puppy. I nodded and grinned.

"Once in the forest, and then this," I gestured to my bite mark, "and once again for coming back after he left Bella, otherwise I wouldn't have you."

"You're so corny," Jake smirked, but I could hear the hum of happiness in his voice. Dr. Cullen clapped his hands together and smiled widely.

"So! What say you two about some dinner?" he asked cheerily.

"I'm _starving," _Jake groaned.

"Jake, you're always hungry," I mentioned politely.

"But I'm more hungry now. I haven't eaten since yesterday!" he moaned dramatically. Dr. Cullen chuckled and went to the door, poking his head back inside before it closed completely.

"I'll let your friends and family come visit for a few minutes when you're done eating, okay?" he smiled.

"Thank you, !" I called out.

"Please, just call me Carlisle." He waved and disappeared.

We were soon laden with trays of food. Apparently it was breakfast time, as Jake was given a pile of waffles, eggs, bacon, and toast. I frowned down at my measly oatmeal and chopped banana, making Jake chuckle.

"How kind of them to consider your jaw," he teased, his eyes sparkling with held-in laughter. I glared at him and that set him off into a laughing fit interrupted by loud exlamations of , "Ow!" every now and then.

"Jeez, Jake, put a sock in it before you break your ribs all over again," a voice grumbled from the door. Paul and May walked in and quickly shut the door behind them. They each got on the outsides of our beds and pushed them together, then plopped themselves down in the middle.

"Make yourselves at home, guys," Jake huffed. Paul shot him a glare.

"I though you weren't supposed to visit until later?" I asked. Paul and May exchanged mischievous glances, then smiled down at me.

"We thought we had waited long enough," Paul smirked. I rolled my eyes and May fist bumped Paul.

"We're better than Bonnie and Clyde. We're May and Paul, infamous ninja duo extraordinare!" May exlaimed, posing with karate chop hands.

"Alwaysh a rebel," Jake said through a mouthful of food while rolling his eyes. Paul chuckled and I took the opportunity to spear a waffle from Jake's plate, but he was faster than me and took my fork away.

"Nuh-uh! I'll only let you have some if you let me cut if up for you," he warned.

"Jake, I'm not a baby!" I cried, my voice cracking in the middle.

"But you're his baby," May grinned.

"Aw, how sweet," Paul said. They looked at each other and broke out into fits of giggles while elbowing each other in the sides, looking like a pair of third graders. I huffed and grudgingly allowed Jake to cut up a waffle into tiny pieces before spooning them back on my plate. He used my fork to spear a piece and held it up to my mouth expectantly. I stared at him.

"Come on, in goes the choo-choo train!" he said, grinning widely. I just continued staring.

"Ah, okay. Vroom! Here comes the airplane!" He waved the fork around in the air for a bit before making it stop in front of my lips. May whispered something to Paul, who got a suspicious look on his face as he crawled over to Jake and whispered something in his ear. A slow smile spread across his face and Paul gave him a thumbs up. Jake oh-so-slowly put the fork up to his lips and gently bit off the delectable piece of deliciousness, making exaggerated happy faces as he chewed. My right eye twitched as he brought another piece up to his mouth, and I lunged for the fork only to end up face down on Jake's half of the makeshift giant bed. May and Paul watched in amusement, their eyes sparkling with laughter and their hands covering their mouths to hold it in.

"Hey, that's mine!" I whined pathetically. I struggled to get up, unsuccessfully, and settled for glaring at Jake. He chuckled and speared another piece, letting the syrup drip down his smiling lips as he let the waffle dangle between his teeth. I rolled my eyes and glared up at him, but found myself craving his lips more than the waffle in between them. My glare slowly turned into a wide-eyed gape as he moved his head lower down to my face, the tempting waffle dangling from his syrup covered lips.

"Jacob Black instantly tames the ferocious Ina lion with a mere wave of a waffle. She is now entranced by his sticky lips, waffle place deliciously in between them," May commentated in a whispered Australian accent.

"Hey," Paul grumbled.

"Shh! Observe as the conflicted Ina lion fights between the urge to eat Jacob or the waffle. Which does she want more? The delectable hunk of flour and maple syrup or the delectable hunk who holds it precariously between his lips?"

I heard her teasing commentary but chose to ignore it, my eyes flickering between Jake's eyes and lips. He grinned and sucked the waffle in his mouth a little more, so that now only half of it stuck out.

"Jerk!" I hissed, finding that I couldn't take my eyes off of his lips. He leaned down a little more and I took the leap, using my teeth to bite off the remaining half of waffle.

"And the waffle wins out in the end!" May exclaimed.

"Oh my," a woman's voice said. I jerked my lips away from Jake's and glanced over at the door. My mother stood smiling coyly in the doorway, my brother behind her looking a little less than pleased.

He looked furious actually.

I watched him stomp away from my room and a bit of worry creeped into me. My mom rolled her eyes and brought a boquet of flowers out from behind her back, along with a giant bar of chocolate.

"Goodmorning to you! Hello Paul, dear. Who is this pretty young lady?" she asked, smiling at May. May beamed proudly and threw her arm around Paul's shoulders.

"I'm his girlfriend! The name is May, it's nice you meet you," she said, sticking her hand out. Mom handed the flowers to me and shook her hand, glancing at me with a bit of confusion. I shrugged and the two lovebirds scooted over so my mom could sit down.

"Where did Jathan go?" I asked anxiously. She shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"Probably to search for that Leah girl. He has quite a thing for her," Mom chuckled. She tore the paper off the chocolate and handed it to me. "I thought you could let in melt in your mouth. I know how terrible hospital food is."

"Ish not sho bad," Jake said while shoveling more into his mouth. I handed him a napkin and he primly batted at the corners of his mouth before shoveling once more.

Mom asked a few questions every now and then, and talked about my homework and how worried my teachers were about my driving skills. I questioned her about it and she winked at Jake.

"We told them you got into a wreck again. Only this time you were trying to avoid a deer and ended up flipping your car into a ditch," she chuckled. She chatted for a while longer before a surprised Carlisle walked in, clipboard in hand.

"I wasn't expecting so many guests this early," he smiled. May grabbed Paul's hand and jumped off the bed.

"We've been found out! Quickly, let us make our escape!" she cried, pulling Paul out the door behind her. "Oh!" I heard her exclaim before footsteps ran back to the door. She poked her head in and gave me two thumbs up, smiling widely. "You're bad ass, Ina! See you later!" she said, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared. Carlisle looked confused for a moment before he waved his hand in the air in dismissal. Mom glanced at his left hand, looking disheartened when she saw the gold ring shining brightly on it.

"Sorry for intruding, I hope it isn't a problem," she said carefully.

"Oh, not at all," Carlisle answered. "Just wanted to check temperatures and see how they're feeling in general." He stuck a thermometer in both mine and Jake's mouth, then wrote down the answers when they beeped. He questioned me for a little while before turning to Jake and checking his wounds.

"Well, Jacob, it seems as if your leg is almost healed. Your ribs should be okay by tomorrow, along with the rest of your cuts and bruises," he stated. I narrowed my eyes at Jake.

"What?" he asked, grinning. I shook my head at him and looked away. Once Carlisle was done, he chatted with my mom for a moment before waving at us and leaving. My mom pouted and I shook my head at her too.

"He's a vampire, Mom," I told her. She looked surprised for a moment before smiling.

"If you can date a werewolf, I can date a vampire," she grinned.

"Shapeshifter," Jake corrected. Mom chuckled and kissed me on the forehead, then gave Jake a hug before standing up.

"I guess I'm going to go find your brother and make him go grocery shopping with me," she sighed, giving my hand a squeeze. "I'll be back later with some better food," she whispered, winking at me before walking out. Jake and I sat awkwardly in silence for a few moments.

"So…" I said.

"So."

"…how's your wife?" I asked. Jake snorted and looked at me incredulously.

"What? I have a wife?" he laughed. I shrugged.

"It's what people always ask when it gets quiet," I mumbled, fiddling with the blanket.

"I've never heard of it," he chuckled. He set his tray on my lap and said, "Eat up!" It was my turn to look at him oddly.

"I know you're still hungry."

"I am. But I'll eat your nasty oatmeal instead so you can have something semi-good to eat," he smiled.

Did I mention that I love this boy?

I do.

"You don't have to do that," I said weakly, eyeing the plate in front of me. He chuckled and handed me a fork.

"I want to. Come on, it's the least I can do for getting you almost turned into a leech."

I shrugged and dug in (very carefully) while he sniffed the bowl of gray matter, then took a bite. He made a face and immediately spit it back into the bowl.

"Gross!" I squealed. He was too busy wiping his tongue off with a napkin to notice. I handed him the small bowl of strawberry gelatin they had given me and he gulped it down in one swig.

"That is THE most disgusting thing I have ever tasted!" he cried after swishing some apple juice around in his mouth for a while. I chuckled and handed him a piece of bacon, which he gladly scarfed down, then looked back up at me expectantly.

"Feed me," he said in a high pitched voice, making puppy eyes at me. I snorted and pushed the tray back over to ended up sharing what was left.

The rest of the day was spent making fun of people on television or sleeping. Sam and Emily visited after breakfast, along with Jared, Quil and Embry. They had to tease me, of course. Luckily Sam shooed them out when he left or I doubt we would have gotten any sleep.

Like Carlisle said, Jake was almost completely well the next day.

His only comment to me was, "Oh, well the wolf saliva seems to be keeping out infection alright."

Grr.

Jake was up and around in no time, and seemed to think it was his duty to be at my every beck and call. I had to literally push him out the door when I went to take a shower, because he was afraid I would fall. Not that I don't trust him or anything, I just…you know how it is.

Carlisle came to check on me at least three times a day, no matter how hectic his schedule was. Surprisingly, he was always cheerful and kind, and never said a bad word about anyone. His visits always cheered me up whenever I started feeling like I was being crushed by the stark white walls and antiseptic.

According to Carlisle, I had a few bruised ribs (how that is possible, I don't know) and a sprained ankle, but seemed alright other than a few scratches and the horrid bite mark, which grew less and less disgusting looking with each passing day. I was in the hospital for a total of a week and a day.

Jathan never came to see me again.

I finally, _finally _got to go home. Mom came to pick me up in her blue station wagon, and had even cleared out the back so I could ride in it if I wanted. Jake helped me crawl in through the trunk door and hopped in beside me, and away we went.

When we got home, Jathan was sitting on the front porch smoking, which was odd considering Jay never ever smoked in his life, that I knew of.

"Hey Jay!" I said, running over to give him a hug. He grunted in reply and patted my back. I picked the cigarette out of his hand and crushed it on the ground. "That's bad for you." I waggled a finger at him.

"Well being with him is bad for you, but I don't see you changing anything," he snapped, jerking his head in Jake's direction.

"Jathan Alan!" Mom called, standing with one hand on her hip as she gave him a disapproving look. He rolled his eyes and fished in his pocket for another cigarrette.

"I'm leaving. Bye," he mumbled.

"Since when do you smoke, Jay?" I asked, hurt. He turned around and looked at me, his hazel eyes half lidded.

"Since you stressed me out so bad I don't know what else to do," he said simply.

"It's not her fault," Jake said, eyeing him with his arms crossed. Jay looked him up and down, then snorted.

"No, it's yours actually."

"What is your problem, dude?"

Jay suddenly turned around and slammed Jake against the station wagon, the cigarrette still hanging out of the side of his mouth. Jake cocked an eyebrow at him.

"_You_ are my problem, Jacob Black. You do nothing but put my little sister in trouble, and make her get hurt for it. Do you even think about anyone but yourself?" Jathan yelled. Jake's body trembled dangerously, his dark eyes flashing with anger.

"Yeah, I do actually. It is my fault she got hurt, but it's not like I did it intentionally. I don't see _you_ tearing some vampire up for her sake," he said calmly, but his voice held a deadly edge to it.

"You don't think I would if I could? I work my ass off to keep her comfortable, I babysat her all her life, I help feed her, clothe her, and give her somewhere warm to sleep. She's my baby sister, and I'll be damned if I let some asshole like you kill her!"

"I'm NOT going to let that happen!"

"You haven't done anything beneficial for her!"

"Well you're not helping by yelling at me! Look, you're making her cry," Jake said angrily, shoving a finger in my direction. I hadn't even realized it was happening, and had just stood there in shock watching the two of them argue.

"Ina," Jay whispered, his face falling. I quickly wiped my tears away and sniffled, looking at the ground as I felt heat rising in my cheeks.

"Ina, I'm sorry," Jay said, coming over to stand in front of me. He held his arms out and I smacked them away, not caring if it was childish. "I'm sorry. Ina, don't do this."

"Do what, Jathan?" I said suddenly, glaring up at him. He winced at the sound of his full name and backed away a little.

"I was in the hospital for a week and you didn't come see me once—"

"I did! I was going to! But you and him were—"

"And you couldn't be an adult about it and ignore it or tell us off at least? You just left and didn't come back. I come home and find you _smoking_ for Pete's sake. You! Smoking! It's disgusting!" I yelled furiously. I knew I wasn't being fair, but quite frankly did not care at the moment.

"I'll quit, I promise. Just take some time away from this guy so you can have a decent life, Ina!" he argued.

"My life is FINE, Jathan. It's you who has a problem with it."

He looked stricken, the cigarrette having long ago fallen out of his mouth. I glared at him for a moment before turning around and stalking into the house, Jake hot on my heels. I heard Jathan curse loudly from outside and the squeal of tires as he drove away.

"Honey, you shouldn't fight with your brother like that. He's just trying to look out for you," Mom said quietly as we ate dinner later on that night. Jake had gone home earlier to check on his father, but promised to be back.

I shrugged, pushing kernels of corn around on my plate for a while before I stood up.

"Dinner was great, Mom. Thank you. I'm glad to be home," I said in a deadpan voice. She looked worried, but I kissed her hair and hugged her before heading off to my room. After changing and doing all my nightly duties, I sat alone in my dark room, staring out into the moonlit night. With the fight with Jay hanging over me and the absence of Jake, I felt lonelier than I had in a while. I didn't want things to end like that.

Someone once told me that you should never go to bed mad at someone.

They never said why, just that it shouldn't happen. With that in mind, I picked up my phone and quickly texted Jay, not feeling like talking too much.

'Jay, I'm sorry for the way I acted. I forgive you. Love you, Ina.'

It seemed like seconds later that he replied.

'_I'm sorry too, I was being a dick. I just don't want you to get hurt. Well, more than you already have been I guess. Talk to you tomorrow?'_

'Sure. Goodnight Jay.'

'_Night, sis. Love you too.'_

I felt a little better after that, and leaned against the wall with my blanket pulled up around me. I stared outside into the yard, willing Jake's bulky form to appear at my window. I waited for a while before I got too tired to keep my eyes open and ended up dozing against the wall. I jumped as my window shot open, but relaxed when I saw Jake climbing in. He quickly shut it behind him and removed his shoes, then crawled up into bed beside me.

"Hey sweetheart, how you feeling?" he asked, pulling me down with him to rest our heads on the pillows. I snuggled into him and sighed, letting his warmth envelope me comfortingly.

"Much better now that you're here," I breathed. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"You're so—"

"Corny, I know," I interrupted, smiling against his skin.

"Sweet," he finished, tipping my chin up with his finger. I closed my eyes as he kissed my eyelids, then my nose.

"Go to sleep, baby. I'm here now," he whispered. I felt his warm lips pressing against my own, tasting slightly of dew and frost and purely Jake before he pulled away. I fell asleep to the sound of his gently humming voice.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm horrible. Sadly I've been pretty depressed and haven't felt like writing anything in a while. So it's not my fault because college sucks. D: I made this chapter extra long for you guys! It's almost 2 am. -dies- **

**Thanks to all who reviewed/alerted/favorited! I'm sorry I have no witty comments to give, I've been working on this stupid thing for two days straight and I'm tired! Lol. Please enjoy, and be forewarned that there is a little hawt kissing. :3 Since you guys griped at me and said Ina should not be a saint. Sheesh. -grumble grumble- **

**And this story will probably be ending soon, sadly. :( I have no time to write anymore, so I will be thinking of an acceptable ending to it and will hopefully get it done within a few chapters. Thanks again guys!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Jake and Jay sat across the room from each other, both with their arms crossed and glaring. I looked back and forth between the two hopefully, staring at each with squinty eyes for a while but they never looked at me. I dug around under the couch until I found an old grocery store receipt, then ripped it into small pieces and threw them at them.

They just stared.

"AHEM," I said loudly, narrowing my eyes at Jathan. He let his eyes flicker to me before staring back at Jake. The old western stand-off theme ran through my head. _Finally_ Jay gave up and sighed, running his hand through his hair before stepping forward and holding his hand out to Jake.

"I'm sorry Jacob. There. Friends?" he choked out. Jake grinned widely and shook his hand. I could see the veins popping out of his hand and Jay's stone faced I'm-not-hurting expression, so I quickly threw a piece of paper at Jake's head. He glanced at me with sparkling eyes and released my poor brother's hand, then smiled at Jay.

"You can call me Jake. All my friends do," he said.

Jay looked at him warily before saying, "You can call me Jay, if you want. I guess it's okay since you're probably going to be my future brother-in-law." Jake looked surprised for a moment, then gave me one of his big, beautiful smiles. I blushed and nearly melted on the spot. Curse Jay for putting the idea into his head so soon! …I did kind of like the idea though.  
A small, intimate ceremony, me in a simple white dress and Jake all dressed up. Smashing cake into each other's face and our first dance as a married couple. Jake carrying me over the threshold of _our_ house, setting me down on the bed as he worked to get his tie off. Tan, smooth skin illuminated by moonlight slanting in through the window, chocolate eyes and perfect lips and…thought process is stopping there.

My two favorite guys had finally learned how to put up with each other, but Jay didn't stay around long after that. He said he had work to do and left quickly, giving me a hug and giving Jake a forced smile before he walked out. Jake plopped down on the couch beside me and intertwined his fingers with mine. His face was utterly rapturous, a gentle smile gracing his full lips as he looked down at our joined hands. He sighed and leaned his head against my shoulder, then pecked a kiss on my cheek.

"I love you," he smiled, looking up at me. He looked so adorable right then that I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from squealing like a fangirl.

"I love you, too," I whispered, smiling. He studied my face for a bit longer, his deep brown eyes seemingly probing my brain for answers.

"What?" I asked, feeling the heat creep up my neck.

"You want to go swimming?" he asked suddenly. I pointed to the thermometer on the window. He glanced at it and shrugged, a corner of his mouth turning up into a smirk. "I'll keep you warm."

I grabbed the remote and flicked the television on, turning it to the Discovery Channel.

"Oh look, Shark Week reruns," I smiled, snuggling in under his arm. He chuckled and gave me a squeeze.

"Inaaaaaaaaa," Paul whined.

"Don't you think May is going to be a little jealous if you keep begging like that?" I grumbled. He shook his head, bottom lip puckered out and eyes wide.

"She's curious to see what you'll look like. She says you're far too shy for your own good," he answered, his grip on my shirt not loosening.

"Well why doesn't she wear it then?" I yelled in his face. A slow, dreamy smile crept across Paul's face, and if I didn't know any better I'd say he giggled.

"Oh, she's got something of her own. Something glorious," he crooned, his voice dropping an octave as he gazed off into the distance. I snapped my fingers in front of his face, then smacked his cheek a few times when that didn't work.

"Paul? Paul? PAUL!"

"Huh?"

"As I said before, I am not wearing _that_ to Emily's Christmas party."

His dreamy expression slowly digressed into a wicked smile. I gulped.

"Yes. You will. And you will like it," he growled, his right eye twitching oddly.

I think May's animated expressions have rubbed off on him a little bit.

I nodded dumbly and he finally set me on my feet, then clapped his hands and walked out of my room. I followed him to the door and almost slammed into him when he turned around suddenly.

"Ah, one more thing. Me and the boys have a little surprise for you too," he said, winking and biting his bottom lip sexily. I rolled my eyes and shoved him out of the door into the flurry of white snowflakes.

"You'll love it!" he shouted, blowing a kiss before traipsing off down the snow laden sidewalk. I chuckled and shook my head, leaning against the doorframe to watch the storm. The light from our window decorations cast multicolored shadows on the blanketed ground, illuminating the dark night with a soft glow. I smiled as the wind blew and made snowflakes dance through the air, watching for a few more moments before closing the door. I rubbed my arms against the chill and paused at my mom's door, then walked back to my room after hearing her snoring softly.

I sighed, remembering that Jake wouldn't be staying the night. I left my blinds open and climbed into bed, sighing again as his faint woodsy scent enveloped me from my sheets.

"Ina you lazy bum, get your ass up!" I heard a voice shout at me.

"Jathan Alan!" my mother's voice shouted.

My world was suddenly spinning as both the blanket I was burrito wrapped in and I were dragged off my bed and onto the floor. I pulled it over my head and groaned, but a heavy weight sat on my back and squeezed all the air out of my lungs.

"Siiisss," he whined. "Come on and open presents!"

"What are you, five, Jaynini?" I grumbled, bucking him off of me. I sat up and scratched my head, squinting my eyes against the blinding white light coming in through my window. Jay was sitting cross-legged in front of me, a silly grin on his angular face and wearing his pajamas, which were red and covered with tiny white Santa Clauses.

"Did you drive over here like that?" I snorted, pointing at his adorable clothes. He looked down at and back up at me, grinning.

"Just like old times, right?" he said. I nodded and smiled.

"Just like old times."

He grabbed my hands and pulled me up and over his shoulder, then carried me down the hall while singing "White Christmas." A sweet, heavenly scent wafted its way up my nose and my eyes widened in upside-down realization when I saw a pile of steaming cinnamon rolls on the counter.

"Jay, put me down!" I squealed, smacking his butt. The world lurched as he turned the opposite way.

"My oh my, I do wonder where that dear sister of mine went," he mumbled thoughtfully.

"Jay!" I whined, beating against him.

"Wow, are there mosquitoes in here? What is that _small_ poking feeling?" he mused.

"Jathan, put your sister down," my mom chuckled, throwing a piece of dough at his head.

"Kay," he said, dropping me on my head. I smacked his leg before scrambling to the delectable pile of cinnamon goodness and sniffing appreciatively. I gazed at my mom with puppy dog eyes and she smiled innocently.

"Don't you want to open your presents first?" she asked.

Ah, presents. Presents or cinnamon rolls, what kind of evil person would make a girl choose between those two?

My mother that's who.

I was suddenly squished down as Jay propped his elbow on my head and leaned on me. I sighed and rolled my eyes up to look at his smirking face.

"I donno, Ma, you think she'd want to open what Jacob got her?" he grinned, raising his eyebrow at me.

What cinnamon rolls? Psh.

"Jakey got me something?" I said in awe, staring at Jay. He looked up at the ceiling, pretending not to hear me, so I jabbed him in the side. He yelped and scowled at me, rubbing his injured side.

"Actually, he and I both got you something. Together, that is," he mumbled, blushing slightly. I glanced at my mom in disbelief and she nodded. I nearly fell over from the effort of keeping my jaw off the ground.

"You…and Jake?...and shopping?" I gaped.

"YEAH, SO?" he yelled, instantly becoming defensive.

"Yeesh, Mr. Hyde, think you could bring it down a notch or two?" I grumbled. He sighed, defeated. I ran over to our Christmas tree and started separating presents out while Mom brought the plate of rolls over, chuckling. Jay sat down in front of his pile, and when I was finished sorting I gazed at my pile curiously.

"Which one is it?" I asked. Jay smirked and shook his head.

"You open that one last. Jake's orders," he smiled. I groaned and flopped against the couch. Mom scolded me teasingly and told us to open our presents. Jake and I took turns opening presents and eating cinnamon rolls. He shouted in delight when he opened the present Mom and I had picked out for him, some kind of giant book he had been talking about for ages, then hauled us both into a giant hug.

"Jay…can't…breath…" I wheezed. He released us and sat gazing at his book lovingly, all other presents forgotten. I huffed and glanced back at the single present I had left, a sly grin on my face as I carefully tore off the green and red paper. In front of me sat the most amazing sight my young eyes had ever beheld.

A waffle maker. And five bags of chocolate chips.

I gaped, awe-struck, at the wondrous machine in front of me. Jay leaned over and tore the note off the top and waved it in front of my face.

"You have to read this too," he chuckled.

I took the paper from his hand and unfolded it.

_Dearest Sister,_

_**Hey honey**__,_

_Don't call her honey. Anyway. We got this for you because you like waffles._

_**Duh**__._

_Shutup mutt. We even bought it together, just for you, because you want us to be friends._

_**It may take a while, but we really want you to be happy. **_

_So as long as you use this to make me waffles from time to time, we gladly hand it over to you._

_**Don't forget me too. You know, your future husband. :)**_

_Brother equals greater than future husband_

_**He lies.**_

_**Love always and forever,**_

_**Jaynini and Jake**_

I snorted, laughter bubbling out of my mouth at their antics.

"Aww, Jay," I giggled, throwing my arms around his neck. He patted my head affectionately and pushed me back.

"It's nothing much, but we thought you'd like it," he smirked. "Okay, mom, now it's your turn!"

My mom stopped midway into her bite of cinnamon role and looked at us questioningly.

"Hmg?" she questioned. I ran back to my room and pulled a box out from under my bed, then ran back and placed it in front of her.

"Mm guf dn hff—"

"Ma, swallow," Jay interrupted, smiling. She gulped and looked at us bewilderedly.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything," she mumbled, glancing down at the package curiously.

"Of course we did, you're our mother," I smiled. She chuckled and tentatively pulled at the wrapping, eventually revealing a plain cardboard box. She opened that up and we watched as a huge grin spread across her face.

"You didn't," she gasped.

"Oh, we did," Jay chuckled.

She pulled out several films and boxes of candy, shrieking like a young schoolgirl when she found _Pride and Prejudice_.

"Hot dog! Matthew MacFayden is so handsome!" she squealed, waving her arms around.

"I do agree. We thought you might like us all to have a family movie night sometime, since Jay always works—"

"And Ina is always with Jacob," Jay finished. I scowled at him. She nodded enthusiastically, staring at the picture of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy on the back cover of the DVD.

"You know Mom, the book is actually pretty good too," I smirked. She waved her hand at me in dismissal. There was suddenly a loud thump on the door, and a muffled voice on the other side.

"Stupid, people don't just leave their doors unlocked," Paul's voice chuckled.

"Well, they should!" May's voice grumbled. Jay got up and opened the door to reveal a grumpy looking May and Paul, who was rubbing her head comfortingly.

"Hey guys! Mrs. Call," May said, waving. She suddenly gasped and pointed to the movie in my mom's hands, then quickly walked over and stood her up.

"You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love…I love…I love you," they finished together dreamily, then burst into a fit of giggles. Paul looked at me in question and I shrugged, smiling. Paul shrugged too and made himself at home by grabbing a cinnamon roll and stuffing it in his mouth.

"So, what brings you here?" I mused. May clapped her hands together and grinned widely, her pale face flushed from the cold.

"Merry Christmas!" she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Paul chuckled in between bites. She narrowed her eyes at him and punched him in the shoulder. He stared at her in mock horror, but she just rolled her eyes and turned back to me.

"So," she said, drawing out the 'o', "I hear you have a hot da—" Paul's hand clamped around her mouth and he shushed her, only to end up spraying bits of pastry all over her. She used his jacket to wipe her face and then cocked an eyebrow at him. He glared back, and their expressions changed rapidly as they argued silently. May finally sighed and crossed her arms. Paul kissed her forehead, and their eyes met, making their faces melt into goopy smiles in an instant.

"Uh, guys?" I asked.

"Heh?" Paul mumbled dumbly.

"What was it you came for again?"

May blinked a few times, her mouth hanging open. "Ionno," she said. I rolled my eyes and bonked their heads together, making them hiss at me in anger.

"What was that for?" they said simultaneously. I cocked an eyebrow at them. "Oh…"

"Ah, ahem, well anyway. I wanted to come take you _out_," May said, winking slyly at Paul. He smirked and nodded.

"But it's Christmas," I noted. Jay clapped his hand on my shoulder and looked at Mom.

"We can deal without you just this once," he grinned, shoving me toward May.

"B-but I haven't showered or brushed my teeth or anything!" I protested. Paul grabbed my coat from the rack and pulled it over my arms, then flung me over his shoulder. I was beginning to feel like a sack of potatoes.

"No worries, dear friend! We have everything taken care of for you," May said, patting my rear. Mom waved halfheartedly while still staring at Mr. Darcy, and Jay shook hands with May before I was whisked out into the bitter cold winter air.

"Tell that mutt he'd better keep his paws to himself!" Jay yelled from behind us.

"We'll make sure to tell him Big Brother is watching!" May shouted back. I was roughly thrown into the trunk of a car, which I later recognized as Quil's, and we sped off to who knows where.

"Hey Ina! Glad to see you looking so beautiful this early in the morning!" Quil said cheerily. I threw an oil bottle at him.

Eventually we landed at the Clearwater house, and Paul threw me over his shoulder once more as he trekked up the front steps. May's red toboggan bobbed along ahead of us, her blonde hair sticking out of it at odd angles. She knocked on the door and I shivered impatiently until Seth flung the door open and ushered us inside. Quil followed soon after, and they all gave each other knowing glances as I was flung onto their couch. I heard Sue chuckle from the kitchen and wondered what the heck was going on.

I voiced my question and they all snickered.

Leah snaked her arms around May's shoulders and smirked. "You are going for one helluva ride today," she said. The others nodded, and May's green eyes twinkled maliciously.

The guys all hugged me and gave me good luck before walking out the door. May and Leah gave them sweet smiles, laughing cheerily at them as they got in Quil's car. Once the door was closed, they dropped their façade and turned to me with glittering, evil eyes. I gulped as the grabbed my arms and yanked me upstairs, May on one side giggling uncontrollably and Leah on the other, a mere smirk on her lips.

I knew I was in trouble.

All was silent as they closed the bathroom door behind me after instructing me to brush my teeth and take a shower. I glanced around cautiously while I scrubbed my teeth with the cheap dentist office brush they had given me, then carefully climbed into the shower. The walls were lined with all sorts of fragrant soaps and shampoos, so I just grabbed one and scrubbed myself with it. After rinsing, I got out and dried off, then poked my head out the door.

"Uh, guys?" I asked nervously. Leah popped in front of me so quickly I nearly fell over. I sputtered in surprise and she grinned.

"No worries, I only apparated," she smirked.

"You can do that?" I gasped in mock disbelief.

"If werewolves and bloodsuckers can exist, why can't wizards, too?"

She motioned for me to follow her back to her room, where May was waiting with a suspiciously innocent expression on her pixie like face. I could tell she was hiding something behind her back, but she made no move to reveal it quite yet. Leah closed the door behind her and locked it. I gulped as she turned back around.

"Sugar vanilla, eh? Good choice, it's close to your natural scent," she said, sniffing the air. She retrieved another bottle of something off of her dresser and handed it to me. "Put this on too, I'll help."

"Lotion? Why?" I asked, sniffing the bottle's contents. She grabbed it from me and squirted some onto her hand, then smacked it onto my shoulders. I bit back an 'ow' and shoved her hands away.

"We want Jake to be able to smell you from a mile away. It'll drive him nuts!" May said gleefully.

"I won't be able to smell anything other than you for a week," Leah grunted, holding her nose. I paused and narrowed my eyes at them.

"So this is all for Jake?" I asked. May rolled her eyes up to the ceiling and smiled so wide I could see her molars.

"Why ever would you think that, dearest?" she said. I chucked the lotion bottle at her and she ducked, giggling like a madman. Leah rolled her eyes and went to grab some other things.

"Well, madam, I have some underwear for you at the ready," May said, pulling out a strip of lace.

"May that's not underwear," I groaned. She looked at the fabric and nodded her head seriously. "I think you grabbed a bit of mosquito netting by mistake."

"Oh, you wily coyote," she laughed, throwing the netting at me. I let it fall to the floor and stared at her. She frowned at me and picked it up, then gestured toward my legs.

"Come on, put it on," she said, walking towards me. I stepped back a few feet and she followed, then started chasing me around the room. I shrieked and threw whatever I could get a hold of at the insane girl, but she kept up with me. I was in the middle of throwing a water bottle at her when I slammed into Leah, who was coming in the door.

"Really guys? I leave for two minutes and come back with my room destroyed?" she snarled. We backed away slowly, then began putting everything back into place under her watchful eye. Once everything was cleaned up, May frowned at her and held up the…thing.

"Mama Leah, Ina won't wear this," she pouted. Leah cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I wouldn't want to, either," she scoffed.

"Why not?"

"Have you ever tried wearing one?"

May paused, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Now that I think about it, no," she answered, grinning. "I just always thought guys like them."

"They do," Leah grunted, "but they're a pain in the ass. Literally. Try it sometime. Plus, Jake will not be seeing Ina's underwear." She turned to me, leaning down into my face with her eyes narrowed. "Got that squirt? He will NOT. Or I'll kill you both. Capice?"

I nodded rapidly, cowering back against the wall from the intensity of her glare. She smiled and stood back up, then grabbed the bag from May.

"Hm, should we make her get dressed first or do her hair and stuff?" she asked May.

"Mm, probably make her get dressed first," May replied.

"Doing my hair, what?" I asked.

Hours later I stood in front of Leah's full length mirror, gaping at the reflection staring back at me. I touched my hair in wonder, its soft waves spilling down over my shoulders. I poked my weirdly pretty face, but my reflection did too, then looked down at the outfit the guys had chosen for me so long ago. I turned around several times, watching the tassels on my thigh high boots spin. Leah and May stood admiring their work behind me.

"I daresay Jake won't be able to control himself," May beamed.

"He'd better watch himself," Leah grunted.

"So what are you going to wear, Leah?" May inquired. Leah glanced down at her cut off sweats and hockey jersey. "Oh no, ma'm! If we're getting all sexied up, you have to too!" Leah stared down at her, one eyebrow arched, daring May to try something. May walked over to Leah's closet and rummaged around for a few minutes before she exclaimed loudly. She glanced over her shoulder with a sickly sweet smile, then pulled out a slinky black dress.

"Ooo, very nice," I commented.

"No," Leah refused simply. Her face was an odd mixture of surprise and pain, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"What's wrong with it? I think it's hot," May grinned, waving the dress around in front of Leah. Leah's eyes flew to the floor and she bit her lip.

"I was wearing that when Sam asked me out. I thought I threw it away," she mumbled. I panicked for a moment and put an arm around her, then looked at May with a what-do-we-do face. May caught my look and tsked, shaking her head like an old woman.

"That just means this is lucky dress, silly! Speaking of lucky, my hot cousin will be there tonight too," May smirked. Leah squinted at her.

"Are you trying to set me up?"

May merely smiled. There was a flurry of movement and before I knew it, May had Leah zipped up into the dress.

"Fits like a glove! A very sexy glove, that is," May beamed. Leah tried to pull the dress down awkwardly, and, dare I say it, there was a light pink tinge to her cheeks.

"It's too short!" she complained. May smacked her hands away, then took advantage of Leah's momentary discomfort to shove her in the chair I had been forced into a while ago. She started doing makeup, so I focused on helping Leah tame her wild hair. After finally getting to straighten, I pinned part of it back with a sparkly clip.

"I feel like a Barbie," she grunted.

Once we were done with Leah, May quickly changed and whipped her blonde tresses up into a loose bun with bedazzled red chopsticks, in true May fashion, then smoothed her dark green sweater dress and clapped.

"Right-o! Pictures, yes?" she said. We took a few pictures before she tucked her camera into her purse and we all walked into the kitchen. Sue clapped and made us all spin around, then kissed Leah on the cheek with tears in her eyes.

"I wish your father was here to see this," she said. Leah smiled grimly and gave Sue a tight hug before wiping her tears away.

"Hellooo, ladies," Seth said as he walked into the kitchen. May and I struck a pose, making Sue laugh a little. "Dang Lee, what happened to you? Looks like you got beat with the girly stick," Seth remarked. She punched him in the arm.

"I can still beat you up, _little _brother," she grinned. He scowled and wrapped his arms around his mom's shoulders, resting his chin on her head.

"You're coming later too, right Mom?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied, patting his arm. "Son, you'd better get changed. Emily wanted everyone to be dressed up so you guys can take a group picture."

Leah groaned.

Sue gave her a look and she straightened back up. We had been chatting for only a few minutes and my feet were already killing me when we heard a honk from outside.

"There's Pauly!" May squealed. She gave us all a peck on the cheek before click-clacking her way out the door. Seth grimaced in disgust as he watched her fling herself into Paul's waiting arms.

"I hope I never imprint. I don't want to be whipped like that," he groaned. I flicked his nose with my finger and glared at him.

"You, sir, do not know what you're missing."

"I think I do. I get enough lovey dovey crap from all of you guys to last a lifetime, " he grinned. "Just wait 'til you see what Jake did for y—OW! LEE WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" he yelled, glaring down at his older sister. She gave him a weird look and he paled, then smiled again. "Oh yeah, I forgot."

"Forgot what?" I asked, now extremely curious.

"Nothing, love, nothing," he grinned.

Seth went back to his room to get changed while Leah and I put our coats on. He walked out a few moments later looking quite handsome in a white button up shirt, gray vest, and black pants. I whistled at him and he grinned, waving me out the door. I had worried about freezing to death, but being sandwiched in between two space heaters made it no problem on the short ride to Emily's. I nervously fidgeted with the hem of my dress, watching the snow bordered road give way to gravel beneath us as we neared Emily and Sam's.

Even from down the road I heard loud music and shouts of excitement. When we got closer, I could see that the house was decorated in zillions of multicolored lights, with strands hanging from the roof and wrapped around poles, Santa Claus riding in his red sleigh in the front yard, and a snowman on the roof. Leah parked behind Quil's car and took a deep breath.

"You okay, sis?" Seth asked. She nodded, her mouth forming a thin line as he clenched her jaw, a determined look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked, patting her hand.

"I'm going to catch a lot of crap from the guys about this," she grunted, gesturing at her appearance.

I pointed to the heel on my boot.

"See this? It's going to be embedded in the unlucky person's face that decides to say something," I grinned. She snorted and shook her head, a half smile turning up her mouth on one side. Seth patted her shoulder for comfort and opened his door to get out, subjecting me to an icy blast of cold air. Leah took another deep breath and nodded to me, reaching for her keys. As we crunched up the driveway, my heart was beating at a furious pace within my chest. I had not seen or heard from Jake all day, but from the way everyone was acting, I knew he was planning something.

_Jingle Bell Rock_ blasted from inside the house, but didn't quite cover up the talking everyone was doing. Quil caught my eye and he grinned, then nearly fell over when he saw Leah. The room grew quiet as everyone turned to stare at us. Leah glared back at each and every pair of eyes she met, daring them to say something. May uprooted herself from Paul's lap and danced over to us, then bowed.

"Ladies and brutes, I present to you, well, us!" Paul snorted and started clapping, and everyone followed suit and cheered, making Leah blush. She still glared at everyone, so I gave her hand a squeeze for reassurance. She glanced over at me and smiled. I looked around for Jake, but didn't see him anywhere among the crowd.

"Sorry, kiddo, he's not here yet. Embry's holding him hostage for the moment," Paul grinned. May slung her arm around my shoulder and swatted Paul's hand away from her behind before leading me over to a tall, muscular, blonde guy (though he was just normal muscular and not scary like our guys). I dragged Leah along behind me and I could feel the glare on the back of my head. The guy eyed Leah, who was still glaring at me, before turning to May and smiling.

"Ina, Leah, this is my cousin, Sonnet," she said cheerily, clapping him on the shoulder. I stuck my hand out and we shook hands, then he turned to Leah. She stared at his hand with an arched brow, then huffed and walked over to talk to Kim and Jared.

"She's just shy," I whispered, smiling as Leah whipped around to glare at me once more. "So Sonnet as in 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?'" He grinned and looked at May.

"Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May," they recited together. May shook herself at the last part and smiled.

"Yep, that's my name," he said. His voice was smooth but slightly husky, his blue eyes twinkling as he grinned. "I feel a little out of place here," he admitted, playing with his blonde bangs. I shrugged.

"You'll get used to it eventually. I promise they're not on steroids. Well, not all of them," I joked. He smiled again and sipped his water.

"No way Jose, Pauly is one hundred percent pure man beef!" May giggled, batting her eyelashes at Paul. He grinned and walked over to us. "Hey Pauly, why don't you show Sonnet around? He's kind of lonely," she whispered, gesturing towards Leah. Sonnet eyed her warily, but glanced over at Leah with a small smile on his face.

"Well, come on then! Don't be shy, we don't bite," Paul grinned, pulling Sonnet up. He dragged him over to the rest of the group and they all welcomed him with a chorus of 'hey!'s and much handshaking.

"I think Leah likes him," May whispered in my ear. I glanced over at Leah to see her watching Sonnet with a curious look on her face. He tried to meet her eyes, but she quickly looked away. The blonde looked a little put out, but the look was quickly washed away as Paul dragged him over to meet Sam. May leaned against me and sighed.

"Poor Sonnet. He was too broke to go home for Christmas so I made him come here with me," she said.

"So you could set him up with Leah?" I smiled. She gave me a sly look.

"I'm just doing him a favor as his dearest and only cousin," she said innocently. I poked her in the ribs and she giggled. We flinched as a bright light suddenly flashed through the window. Jared and Quil rushed to see who it was, then gave me huge grins.

"Jake's here!" Jared yelled. I was suddenly being shoved out the door and pushed down the driveway, leaving me no time to be nervous. Someone smacked me on the butt and I turned around to glare at them, only to end up tripping and slamming into a hard chest.

"Oh, hi Embear! You look nice," I said, pushing myself off of him. He grinned and covered my eyes, and I heard everyone gathering around me. Embry's hand was suddenly gone and Jake stood in front of me. My jaw dropped to the ground.

Okay, so it wasn't as good as shirtless. But almost.

Jake grinned and rubbed his neck sheepishly, smiling his perfect, beautiful smile. He wore a fitted dark blue dress shirt with black pants and shiny black shoes, looking more than handsome. He held his hands out for me to take, but I couldn't move or do anything but stare at him. Someone gently pushed me forward and I fell out of my stupor, lifting my hand up to his face.

"You look beautiful," he breathed in my ear.

I was still speechless.

"Ah-heh-hem," I heard May cough. Something bobbed above our heads, and when I looked up and realized what it was, I gaped at everyone around us. May was holding a long stick with the mistletoe tied to the end of it. She cocked an eyebrow at me and smirked.

"B-but! And! Fwa!" I stuttered incoherently while pointing to random people and making everyone laugh.

"Come on, guys, kiss up. I know you haven't seen each other all day," Embry grinned, pushing us closer together. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" he chanted, and everyone joined in. I hid my face in my hands and felt Jake's warm hands grip my hips lightly.

"Don't be embarrassed. I'm right here. Don't be scared," he whispered in my ear.

I let my hands fall and looked him in the eyes. My heart hammered happily in my chest, drowning out the sound of everything else. He held my gaze with dark chocolate eyes and placed my right hand over his calmly beating heart, pressing it against his chest while he took my other hand in his and pulled me closer. He leaned in to me, his dark eyelashes splayed delicately across his cheekbones as he closed his eyes and melded our lips together into a slow burning kiss that made me weak in the knees. His fingers slid up my neck and gently twisted in my hair as he deepened the kiss, parting his heated lips as he captured mine in between them.

My heart was racing, and I knew nothing but the intoxication of his taste and scent and warmth as he held me close. The world around us was momentarily forgotten.

After what seemed like ages (very nice ages, mind you), Jake pulled away just a little. I felt him smile against my lips and he gave a low laugh.

"My, my. I didn't know you had it in you," he chuckled. I glared up at him, trying to catch my breath. He smirked and glanced around at everyone. The crowd had become awfully silent. "We'll finish this later," he growled in my ear. He took my hand and we set off back toward the house, leaving everyone behind us gaping and wide eyed.

"Dude, that was HOT," May yelled, breaking the silence. Everyone laughed and followed us back inside. May held onto the mistletoe stick and kept trying to stick it between people. Quil snatched it away from her when she tried to hold it between him and Jared.

Dinner was soon done and we formed a line into the kitchen, savoring the smells emanating from its warmth. Emily swatted all of the guys into the back of the line so that the ladies (and Sonnet) could eat first before it was all taken away by the wolves. We filed in and filled our plates with delicious food, then shuffled back out to the living room and porch area. When everyone was nearly done, May stood up and announced that Sonnet should play for everyone. He tried to resist, but had to play when Embry produced a guitar from his truck. He sighed and started warming up. When he was done he looked around for a while before settling his eyes on Leah. He grinned and pulled a stool up directly in front of her chair, making it impossible for her to get up without somehow climbing backwards and exposing herself to everyone. She shifted uncomfortably, not meeting his gaze. He settled in and started playing softly, his fingers moving skillfully across the strings.

Leah gasped and looked up at him. She froze, terror striking her face as she and Sonnet stared at each other. The music paused for a moment until she broke eye contact, her eyes wide.

"Um, s-sorry, I'll start over," Sonnet murmured, shaking his head before looking back up at Leah and starting back up. We all looked between the two of them unsurely, but Leah refused to look up for the rest of the song. When it was over, she pushed Sonnet's stool back and stood up, then quickly walked outside.

"Dang, I was sure that would get her. It's her favorite song!" May whined.

"Did…Did I do something wrong?" Sonnet asked, confused. May shook her head and we followed Leah outside. We had to run to catch up with her before she got to the edge of the woods. She had already thrown her shoes off and was almost there when May grabbed her arm. I caught up soon after and looked her at panic stricken face.

"Leah, did you just imprint?" I asked.

She shook her head in disbelief, her eyes wide and eyebrows knitted together.

"N-no, I can't have," she mumbled.

"What? Really? I knew there was a reason Sonnet was broke this Christmas, I just knew it!" May exclaimed happily, clapping her hands.

"NO!" Leah yelled, wrenching her arm out of May's grasp. I moved to stand in front of her and took her shoulders.

"What's wrong with it Leah? Why are you so scared?" I asked. She sputtered incoherently for a few moments, gesturing wildly with her hands before she finally produced an actual sentence.

"He looks like he's in a boy band, for crying out loud!" she cried, exasperated.

"That's because he is," May said matter-of-factly.

"No, my dear, that's what normal guys look like. You've been around our freaks of nature for too long," I chuckled. She mumbled and gestured some more.

"He plays guitar and sings! A-and knows Shakespeare! HIS NAME IS SONNET!" she yelled.

"That's because my family is full of a bunch of artsy fartsies. I was lucky I only got named May Georgia after Georgia O'Keefe. Poor kid back there is Sonnet Leonardo," May sighed, pointing over her shoulder at the house. Leah bit her lip, clearly trying to think of more objections.

"I think he has a pretty name," I interjected. Leah rolled her eyes.

"Yes, _pretty._ What kind of man is pretty?" she hissed, crossing her arms. May and I sighed simultaneously.

"Leah, honey dearest sweetie pie, not all men are steak and potatoes kind of guys. Well, actually he likes steak and potatoes, but that's not my point. He's not really that girly. He works out and plays video games and belches just like guys do," May said thoughtfully.

"And if you look at it, he's actually really smart. He can quote Shakespeare and plays guitar, which takes talent, believe me. Jay tried it once and I almost poked my eardrums out," I grunted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! He's really smart and stuff!" May added, nodding her head furiously. "Besides, I think you're tough enough for the both of you, eh? Eh? Am I right?" She jabbed Leah in the ribs with her elbow, which earned her a smack to the arm. She rubbed her arm and squinted at Leah, who ignored her and glared at the ground.

"Leah, this is a _good_ thing," I sighed, making her look at me.

"I will not be associated with a girly haired man," she grunted.

"How does playing guitar and having long hair make me girly?"

We jumped as Sonnet appeared behind us, an amused look in eyes. He stepped forward a few feet, rubbing his arms against the cold as he walked up to Leah.

"Tell you what. Let's make a bet. I'll teach you part of that song I just played, and if you can play it by the end of the night I'll leave you alone," he said.

Leah just glared at him, her fists balled by her sides as she shook.

"And if you can't, then you have to apologize for calling me girly and go on date with me," Sonnet grinned, holding his hand out. Leah took his hand and shook it, never letting her glaring eyes leave his smiling face. I saw his mouth twitch downward as Leah crushed his hand in her grasp, then walked back toward the house. Sonnet waited until she was gone to curse and rub his hand.

"She's strong!" he gasped. May nodded, clapping him on the shoulder.

"That's our Leah. She's acts like one tough cookie, but she's just a little insecure. So take care of her," May growled.

"The course of true love never did run smooth," Sonnet smiled.

We headed back to the house, where Sonnet was commissioned to play several more songs by various people. Emily put her foot down when Jared requested, "Big Balls," by ACDC. She covered her ears and started yelling at them to get out of her house when they started singing it anyway. She glared at Sonnet, who immediately started playing _Deck the Halls_.

I felt warm arms wrap around me from behind as Jake sighed.

"Hey buddy," I smiled, patting his arm.

"Come with me? I have something to show you," he whispered, his warm breath tickling my ear. I nodded and he led me out of the house as everyone started in with a rousing rendition of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." We headed off toward the forest and I paused, looking down at my insensible shoes.

"Uh," I said. Jake smiled and quickly whisked me up, then took off into the trees. I tried to flatten myself against him the best that I could to ward off the chilly wind, but it only warmed one side of me. After a while, Jake stopped running and gently set me down.

"Close your eyes, okay?" he smiled, taking my hand. I nodded and did as I was told, only peeking out every now and then. He caught me looking once and covered my eyes with one hand while leading me with the other. My shoes scuffed against something slightly harder than the ground and I stumbled, but luckily he caught me. He told me to stand still, then I felt his hand leave mine. Soon there was slow, soft music playing. Jake came to stand in front of me once more and took both of my hands.

"Okay, you can open your eyes," he whispered.

I cracked my eyes open and gasped, not knowing where to look first. Above our heads was an intricate network of string that held hundreds of glow sticks and plastic snowflakes that swayed slightly with the wind. Thousands of candles surrounded us, flickering every now and then and casting a warm glow over Jake's face. A small radio sat off to the side of the cardboard "floor" we stood upon. I looked back at Jake in wide eyed wonder, making him grin like a fool. He bowed and pressed his lips to my hands, then stood back up.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, gesturing to the radio. I smiled and nodded, letting him pull me in close as he wrapped an arm around my waist. He held my right hand and started swaying gently to the beat. "Do you like it?" he whispered, looking down at me. I nodded dumbly, caught in his eyes. He gave one of his breathtaking smiles, but there was something different about it. His downcast eyes held new emotion, a deeper, arcane love that I had not seen before.

Maybe it was just the candlelight. Whatever it was made him look pretty darn sexy.

My breath caught in my throat as he dipped me suddenly, then brought me back up with a grin. He leaned his forehead against mine as we danced, placing butterfly kisses against my skin every now and then. I let my eyes flicker open to watch his peaceful face, resting my gaze on his closed eyelids.

"Hey Jake?" I breathed.

"Hm?" he answered, not opening his eyes.

"I love you."

He smiled and said, "I love you too, honey."

My hand skimmed down his chest and hooked a finger in his shirt, pulling him to me as I captured his lips. They were searing against my frozen mouth, making tingles shoot down my spine at the contrast. He made quick work of his buttons and shrugged his shirt off, pressing me against his warm body as he pulled my arms up around his neck.

"I didn't think that would last long," I chuckled, gesturing toward his fallen shirt. He grinned and squeezed my waist as he pulled me back toward him, effectively ending any thoughts I had previously, except for the ones about him. Trying to form coherent thoughts was a losing battle as his heat surrounded me, his feverish skin and warm kisses melting me to the very core. My heartbeat kicked up a notch as he placed blazing kisses down my throat, making me accidentally dig my nails into his skin. He growled into my neck, nipping the skin lightly in between his teeth.

My eyes floated up to the fluorescent ribboned sky, vision slowly going out of focus as the strings melted together in a molten swirl of color. I hissed as Jake bit down a little harder than he should have and he froze for a moment before kissing the pain away. He held my face with both of his hands and pressed his mouth against mine once more. He backed away after a moment, panting slightly as he leaned his forehead against me.

"I n-need to calm down," he stammered. His voice was deep and rough, at the in between stage of his normal voice and the wolfish growl. "D-don't look at me yet."

"Why not?" I asked, looking at him anyway. He covered his face with one huge hand and sighed.

"I wolfed out a little," he groaned. I tugged his hand away from his face and he looked at the ground.

"Jake, look at me," I ordered. He sighed and turned to face me. His eyes glowed unnaturally bright, showing slightly yellow in contrast with the dark brown they normally were. "What's wrong with it?" I asked.

He bared his teeth at me, revealing his canines to be much bigger than normal. I cupped his cheek with my hand and he let his face fall, sighing again as he leaned into my palm.

"Jake, you're beautiful either way. The way you look doesn't change anything between us. You're still Jake and I'm still Ina, and I still love you and you still love me. I hope," I added with a grin.

"Of course," he snorted, letting his glowing eyes flicker back toward my face. He stared at me for a moment before grinning and kissing my palm. "So, what would you like to do now? Me is also an option," he smirked.

"Well I don't mind continuing where we left off," I answered smartly. He cocked an eyebrow at me in question.

"Please do," he replied, leaning down toward me with half lidded eyes. I leaned forward, giggling a little when he frowned as I kissed his cheek. "Tease," he grunted, holding me tight against him as I nipped my way down his throat. He mumbled something but I wasn't sure what it was.

"Bite me, please," he begged, his glowing eyes nearly shut as he panted. I was startled by the beauty of him and paused for a moment to admire the way the moonlight bathed his skin in a silvery sheen. His eye flickered down to look at me curiously. "If you want to, that is."

I blushed and gently nipped the skin on his neck, becoming alarmed as he sank to his knees. He wrapped his arms tight around me, body trembling a little as I nipped again at the joint of his neck and shoulder.

"Harder," he panted.

"J-Jake, are you going to phase?" I asked, attempting to pull away slightly. He gripped me tighter and groaned, shaking his head furiously.

"I won't turn, just bite me hard," he ordered. I nipped a little harder and a shiver went down his spine. He pressed me closer against him and said, "Harder," again. I felt a little power crazed, amazed that I could do this to him. My heart pumped furiously, making the blood pound in my ears as I gave it my all and bit him nearly as I hard as I could.

A long, loud howl rang through the air.

I had to laugh.

* * *

**A/N: Bee tee dubs, you guys should totally hit up YouTube and listen to "Bloodstream" by Stateless. It's from the Vampire Diaries soundtrack (TEAM DAMON!), but it is a suuuper sexy sounding song. I like it a lot. XD K bai!**


	22. AUTHOR'S NOTE PLEASE READ!

THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE BUT PLEASE READ ANYWAY! I NEED YOUR HELP!

So, I have the next chapter of Melt already written. I was going to make it the last chapter, because quite frankly I'm running out of willpower for this story. I love Jake and Ina, I really do, they're like my children or something! But I'm running out of inspiration, and I really don't want to fail you guys by giving you a sucky, forced, rushed ending. Jake and Ina deserve their happiness, and by golly I want to give it to them!

So the question is, what do you guys want to happen next?

I have it set up as:

1: a lovely scene at the beginning. No smut, but almost. :)

2: Go back to Christmas party and get gifts.

3: The boys give Ina her new and improved car back. Okay, not new, it's still her old clunker, but it's definitely improved, in my opinion.

4: I had an idea for this, but I don't want to ruin it and make it sound rushed…

Should I tell you guys what it is and ruin the surprise? You probably already know anyway. –sigh-

…..

Okay, if you want to know the surprise, keep reading. If not…stop here and give me a review about what you want to happen. :D

….

I was going to have Jake ask Ina to be with him forever. Sort of like a proposal, but as Ina is still young and Jay is the man of the house, he won't let Jake ask her to marry him quite yet. Ahaha.

Sounds rushed and blah, doesn't it? :\

I really don't want it to be that way. :( Like I said, I really love Jake and Ina. So if you guys can help me get through this last chapter, I will DEFINITELY give you a terrific epilogue that will be so fluffy and lovely that your socks will be rocked off!

So please. Help me. T_T

I know, I'm a horrible author for asking you guys this stuff when I should be creative and awesome enough to come up with it on my own. But as I am alone in a place far from home where I have no one to talk to about Jakey loving, I no longer have inspiration. It has all gone to Paul. XD I love Jake, I really do, and I know you guys do too. So, from one fanfiction lover to another, er, others, er…you guys, I ask that you send a "review" to this and let me know what you think should happen! I really really really would appreciate it.

Love, most ardently,

Your humble Melt authoress,

Tiffany


	23. Chapter 23 FINAL CHAPTER

**A/N: Here ya go, guys! THE LAST CHAPTER ZOMG! D: I've had a good run with this story. It is my first ever attempt at making a Twilight fic, and I think I've done pretty darn good so far, if I do say so myself. :) I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my petty stories, it really means a lot to me. -sobs happily in corner-**

**Okay, so there's NO SMUT in this. There's close to smut, but no actual smut. Sorry ladies, I'm just not comfortable with writing that kind of stuff. Call me immature or whatever, but I think that is something private between the two people. I'm sure Ina and Jake would like their privacy. I know I would. XD If you guys aren't satisfied with what I wrote, there is a lovely little filter at the top of your screen that says "M" that I'm sure you would find very agreeable. :) **

**There WILL be an epilogue following after this chapter. If you'd like, you guys can send me your favorite names and I'll pick one I like and see what I can do about some -cough- babehs -cough-. :) So please be patient with me! This week is going to be crazy. I wrote this instead of working on my paper. Yes, yes, send me flowers and cookies later while I slave away at 3 AM working on my college degree. :)**

**Please review and tell me what you think! I'd love your opinions, even if you think it sucks. Well, I would be crushed if you said that, but I'll live. :) Without further ado...**

**ENJOY THE LAST CHAPTER OF ULTIMATE JAKE LOVING HONEYS! :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Jake panted quietly, sinking back to sit on the ground. I looked at him curiously, watching his glowing eyes flutter open under the fringe of dark hair that covered his eyes.

"You doing okay there, partner?" I chuckled, moving his hair out of his eyes. He grinned, his canines glittering seductively in the moonlight.

"Better than okay," he replied, his voice a hoarse whisper. He touched the bite mark on his shoulder and groaned, the glow from eyes being abruptly cut off as he closed his eyelids. He muttered something in Quileute, but he was speaking so low I couldn't understand.

"Jake?" I asked, bending down so I could see his face. His eyes flashed open and he bit his lower lip, his sharp teeth dimpling the soft flesh beneath them. My eyes widened as he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me forward, bowing me against him. His breathing was ragged and warm on my lips as he held me there, mere inches from my face.

"Ina," he said finally. "Do I scare you like this?" His face looked worried.

I shook my head and grinned.

"Quite the contrary, my dear. I actually find it kind of sexy," I admitted, staring him straight in the eyes even though a blush was spreading across my cheeks.

"Oh?" he smiled. "How so?"

"Just do," I shrugged. His jewel toned eyes flashed in amusement, making my heart hammer in my chest as he leaned in closer. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and gently tugged on my earlobe with his teeth.

"Do I make you nervous?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave.

I shivered, closing my eyes as his mouth grazed my cheek. I parted my lips in anticipation, my heart sputtering painfully in my chest as I waited. He nudged my jaw upward with his nose, placing heated kisses along my exposed throat and across my collar bone as he tipped me backwards, holding my waist and head as we lowered to the ground.

I shivered as the cold caressed my back with icy fingers, but it was soon forgotten as the heat of Jake washed over me. He crouched low, trying to not to crush me, but was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off of his feverish skin. His lips connected with mine and I was lost, drugged by his taste. Sweet and agonizingly slow, his lips pressed against mine again and again, searing hands skating up my sides and leaving tingles in their wake.

"Ina," he breathed. The pace of my heartbeat painfully increased as his tongue slid up my neck, causing me to gasp. He growled into my skin, yanking the collar of my dress down as he pressed his face into the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply. I pressed my fingers against his chest, feeling another low growl reverberate through his chest at the contact. I felt his fingers tracing my collar bone, and I froze as his lips paused over the scar from where Paul had bitten me. I opened my eyes, flinching at the pained expression on his face.

"Ina, honey, can I see the other one too?" he asked. I nodded, struggling with the sleeve of my dress in an attempt to roll it up, but the fabric was too tight. I tugged on the collar of my dress to pull it down over my shoulder, but that didn't work either. I felt Jake's fingers fiddling with the edge of my dress and he looked at me assuredly. "May I?" he asked, tugging the dress up slightly. My eyes widened, and I unconsciously crossed my arms over my chest. His eyebrows scrunched together in regret, and he quickly let go of my dress. "Never mind, that was a stupid question," he growled, berating himself.

"No it's not," I said, gently cupping his cheek. He closed his eyes, nuzzling his face into my hand. He sighed and kissed my palm, his smoldering eyes gazing at me longingly. I stared back, knowing that he was the one person I could trust implicitly, who would never intentionally hurt me and who would defend me tooth and nail given the chance. The only person I would ever love so deeply for all eternity.

"Jake, I trust you," I whispered, nodding at him. He blinked a few times in surprise, then looked slightly confused. "G-go ahead," I stammered. He nodded, taking my face in his hands as he kissed me ever so gently, warming me to the very tips of my frozen toes. He gazed at me for a long time, his eyes shining with all of the love he held for me. Eventually he sat up, and, never taking his eyes off mine, gently tugged the dress up over my head. I trembled as cold air hit my bare skin, but left my arms at my sides to let Jake's eyes roam over my exposed torso. It was my way of letting him know that I trusted him, even though a blush across my cheeks betrayed my self consciousness.

His face immediately took on a blush as he gaped down at me.

"Ina, you're beautiful," he gasped. His eyes landed on the small scar Paul had given me, and he traced his finger over it, then over the ragged bite mark Bella had so graciously bestowed. My heart fluttered in my chest as he leaned down, trembling fingers holding my waist for support as he placed a gentle kiss over Paul's mark.

"Ina, I'm so sorry I let this happen to you," he breathed, his voice wavering as he leaned down to kiss the other scar. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you like I should have been." He leaned up and stared at me a moment longer, his hands still on my waist, and I was secretly grateful May had made me wear such a lovely bra. I shivered uncontrollably under his grasp, inhaling sharply as a cold wind suddenly blasted through the trees.

"B-but you were, J-Jake. You were always r-right there, protecting me, like I know you always will b-be," I chattered.

I held my breath as his fingers made a slow, burning trail down my sides. He leaned down again, coming in for another kiss. My heart beat faster and faster with each inch that disappeared between us, until finally it exploded inside my chest in a mini nova of happiness.

"Jake," I sighed as his lips made a burning trail down my neck again. His hands were everywhere, gently skimming down my body, pulling me up to him, brushing my hair out of my face, exploring every exposed inch of skin he could reach. His lips found my mouth once more and kissed me hungrily, desperately, while his hand crept lower along my abdomen. He yanked on the fabric of my leggings at my hip, and I barely registered the tearing noise that they made. His fingers grazed my now exposed left thigh, slipping up under the thin slip of lace that protected the bare flesh underneath. He moaned at the new skin contact, and I shivered under his grasp.

"Please, baby," he groaned. I gasped as he ground his hips against me, panting in my ear. "I _need_ you."

He kissed my cheek, then leaned up again. My eyelids fluttered open, my vision a blur of tanned skin and molten, golden color. He skimmed his hand back up my left side, bringing it to cup my cheek as he looked at me for approval. His other hand squeezed my waist gently, eyes flickering between my eyes and lips as he waited.

I sighed and smiled, placing my hands on the sides of his face before leaning up and giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I love you Jake. I always will," I breathed. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed him firmly against me, groaning at the feeling of his heated flesh against my bare skin. His body vibrated in what I can only describe as a purr when I slid my tongue between his lips.

He ground his hips against me repeatedly, groaning into my mouth at the friction he was causing.

"Ah…Jake," I whimpered. I dug my nails into his shoulders as he savagely bit down on my neck, humming softly as he used his tongue to massage the pain away. He wrapped one arm around my lower back and pulled my hips up against him. I closed my eyes and hissed, dragging my nails down his back as he worked. Heat coursed through my body, blood pumping in my ears loudly as his tongue made a warm trail against my skin. He drug his teeth down through the valley of my chest, pausing for a moment before kissing the soft exposed flesh.

"So soft. I wonder what's under here?" he teased, nudging the lace fabric of my bra with his nose.

"I think you know as well as I do," I chuckled. He smiled against my skin, then pressed his searing lips onto the plush flesh. His fingers slid up my side, thumb slipping under the wire and brushing softly against the skin there.

"We'll have to get rid of this, you kn—"

"ACK! MY EYES!" someone screamed. I jumped and was snatched up in an instant, Jake's shirt thrown over my shoulders and me tucked into his arms to hide my appearance. He growled menacingly as Embry and Quil stumbled out of the trees, hands over their eyes.

"Jacob Ethan Black! What did I tell you?" Embry hissed, pointing at a random spot of air I assumed he thought was Jake while he kept the other hand clamped over his eyes.

"Oh dang, he's even got the crazy eyes. Things must have been getting pretty hot and heavy," Quil chuckled. Jake growled again, turning it into a threatening snarl. Quil held his hands up in defense and shrugged. "Hey dude, don't blame us. Emily sent us to get you so we can open presents. You can come back later if you want." I blushed as he winked at me.

"Why don't you guys leave and we'll come when we get ready to," Jake growled. Quil shook his head.

"No can do, buddy. Emily was irate when she noticed you guys were already gone."

"And if you don't come with us now, we'll go get Leah to drag your butt back!" Embry yelled. Jake took a breath, his shoulders trembling.

"Go. We'll be right behind you," he sighed. Quil gave Jake thumbs up and winked at me before he dragged Embry back into the forest. Jake's grip on me did not lessen as he turned back to face me, leaning his forehead against my own. He sighed again, clearly irritated, and I chuckled.

"I don't see what is so funny," he grumbled. I gave him a hug, twirling his hair with my fingers as I kissed his shoulder.

"Come on, it's present time!" I said cheerily. I was secretly thankful to Em and Quil for intervening. Jake sighed, resting his cheek against my shoulder.

"You're the only thing I could possibly ever want," he mumbled. I felt my face heating up even more and gave him another quick squeeze before scrambling out of his arms and picking up my dress. He watched my every move, frowning when the fabric covered me once more. I tugged down on the ends just to make sure everything was in place, then picked up his shirt. Luckily none of the buttons had flown off in his hasty undressing. He stood up and I slid it back onto his arms, pausing to admire his moonlit skin before slowly buttoning his shirt back up.

"There," I said when I was done, patting his now covered chest. I made the mistake of looking back up into his eyes, which were now dull and emotionless. "Hey, don't be like that," I chided, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Sorry," he sighed.

I stood on my tip toes and gave him a peck on the lips, the feeling of his soft mouth beneath mine still sending shivers of electricity down my spine. He squeezed my waist and pulled me closer to him, making me squirm uncomfortably. When I opened my eyes his were yellow again, glowing under his dark eyelashes. He smirked and I blushed.

"You've been thinking naughty thoughts, haven't you?" he growled in my ear. My eyes widened and I pushed him away, beginning to walk toward the trees. He laughed and pulled me back to him, giving me another searing kiss before picking me up. We quickly met up with Embry and Quil. Embry's face was still red when we found them, and Quil laughed at Jake.

"Dude, you've got to calm down and get rid of the eyes. Emily and Leah will have a fit!" he chuckled. Jake tried to kick him in the shin, but Quil was quick to get away.

"Come on, let's get going before someone comes after us," Embry said uncomfortably. We started back toward Sam and Emily's, and Jake's eyes slowly turned back to their original color. He glanced down at me every now and then, a small smile gracing his perfect lips. When we finally returned, Emily gave us an earful, more so at Jake, and demanded to know what we had been doing. I blushed and looked down at the floor.

"Dancing."

"Jizz…in…my pants."

Quil and Jake said at the same time. Embry shoved him, which only made him laugh maniacally. Emily narrowed her eyes at us, but before she could say anything May jumped up and screamed, "I LOVE that song! Lock eyes from across the room..." The whole room started singing loudly, effectively cutting off any impending tirade from Emily. She glared at Jake once more, then went to talk to Sam, who shook his head and smiled at Jake. I gave a thankful glance at May and she winked, waving her arms around as if she were conducting an orchestra.

I noticed that Leah was actually sitting beside Sonnet, her wide eyes glued to his angular face as he demonstrated how to play a part of the song. He suddenly looked back up at her and she blushed, quickly scowling at him as she took the guitar away and fiddled around with it. I chuckled as she jumped when Sonnet guided her fingers to different strings and showed her how to strum.

"Come on, let's go sit over there," Jake said in my ear. He wrapped an arm around me and guided me over to an empty seat. Once the song was over, Emily brought out a huge bag full of presents and handed them out to everyone.

"Sorry guys, I'm a cheapskate," she said as we tore into the colorful wrapper. Inside each package lay a massive pile of iced sugar cookies, gingerbread men, peppermint bark, and various other tasty items that were sure to put all of us into a sugar coma by the end of the night. Jared immediately tore into his pile, making Kim snicker as he smeared icing all over his face.

"What? It's delicious!" he said defensively. I jumped as someone poked me hard in the side. Quil shoved a package into my lap, then quickly scurried back over to his seat with a smirk on his face. I looked at him questioningly, but he just grinned widely and waved at me to open it.

My breath caught in my throat as the image of an adorable sleeping couple was revealed, my favorite picture from long ago.

"Hey, it's us," Jake smiled, squeezing my shoulder. I was speechless.

"Quil, you've really outdone yourself," I said, giving him a watery smile.

"Aw, shucks," he replied, blushing slightly.

I traced a finger over the delicately carved black frame, smiling at the shadows in the corner of Jake's mouth and the way his tousled hair caressed his cheek. One arm lay resting gently on across my shoulders, the other disappearing from view as it wrapped around my waist. The beautiful girl I still couldn't believe was me was tucked into his chest, smiling with such ethereal beauty.

"Wow, Quil is actually good at something," Embry teased as he looked over my shoulder. Quil stuck his tongue out at him but was soon crushed by a giant hug from me.

"Thank you Quil!" I squealed.

"Hey, hey, get your hands off my woman!" Jake growled playfully. Quil looked up at the ceiling innocently as everyone laughed. I released Quil and went back to sit beside Jake, my eyes still fondly ogling the beautiful photograph. Other presents were passed around. My head nearly exploded when I opened my gift from May and Paul, those rascals. May waved and blew kisses at while Paul wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Thanks guys. We'll put this to good use," Jake growled in my ear before sniffing the small tub of body chocolate.

"W-what? We will not!" I gasped, hiding behind Emily, the ever mighty wooden spoon slapper. May was quickly thrown over Paul's shoulder as he ran out of the house, Emily and her fearsome spoon chasing after them.

"So awkward," I groaned, now hiding behind Sam.

"It could be worse," Sam chuckled.

"I am SO wearing this tomorrow!" Quil cried. I almost fell over when I saw that he was holding up a white man thong with the words, "I'm a beast" printed across the front.

"See? Much worse," Sam grunted, hiding his eyes. Emily finally returned, huffing and puffing and with the end of her spoon broken off. I was a little afraid to see what had happened to Paul's head as a result. May ran in a little while later saying something about Mama K and Jayjay, and when I looked out the window I saw Jathan and Mom walking up the driveway.

"Hey guys!" I said, running out to hug them. Jathan frowned when he noticed Sonnet sitting so close to Leah, and when I told him that she had imprinted he sighed and rubbed his temple dejectedly. Emily quickly handed the both of them giant plates of baked goodies and ushered everyone outside.

"Ina, the boys would like to return something to you," she chuckled. Jared held his hand over my eyes and I held on to Jake for support as we all tumbled into the front yard. I heard an engine revving, and when I opened my eyes I gasped.

"My car!"

Okay, so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still pretty outrageous.

"You like the art? Paul did most of it," Quil grinned. I was still in shock, my feet rooted to the ground with disbelief.

"You guys painted yourself on my car…" I said.

"Yup! Isn't it cool? Now you can take us with you wherever you go!" Seth chuckled.

"_And_ the background is your favorite color. Am I right?" Paul smirked. I gave him the 'you-know-you're-right-so-why-bother-asking' face and he laughed. Jake walked me over to it and opened the door, pulling a pendant off of the rearview mirror.

"This is for you," he smiled. I held my hair up as he tied the string of leather around my neck, feeling the cool weight of smooth stone against my skin. I picked it up, gaping in awe at the intricate carving of a wolf's head.

"Did you make this, Jake?" I whispered, wide eyed. He nodded, grinning sheepishly.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"Like it? I love it!" I shouted, throwing my arms around his neck. I turned and gave each of the guys a hug, thanking them for all of their, um, hard work. I saw Jake nod to Jay, and my mother started squealing with excitement. Everyone shushed her and they watched me with mischievous grins and sparkling eyes.

"Ina, honey," Jake's quiet voice said from behind me. I turned and he was grinning slightly, hands in his pockets.

"You okay, Jake?" I asked, noticing his trembling. He nodded and swallowed.

"Ina, I know we've only been together for four months, but you know that I love you, and I always will. You're my imprint, so of course I love you, but you mean so much more to me than that. I mean, you're my imprint so you're really important, but what I mean is—"

"What he means is he'd love you even if you weren't his imprint," Quil smiled. Sam smacked him over the head and he hissed. Jake glared at him.

"I know that," I smiled, catching his hand. I kissed his knuckles and looked up at him, waiting for him to continue saying whatever he was saying. He took a deep breath, then looked me in the eyes.

"Ina Call, I love you more than anything else on this earth. You make me smile, and laugh, and feel like there's nothing in the world that could ever bring me down. You have the power to make me or break me, but you're always so considerate and gentle. I don't know how my life would have turned out if it wasn't for you," he whispered.

"And you almost lost her to me," Paul chuckled.

"Oh rats!" May teased, snapping her fingers.

Jake rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is…um, well," he faltered, his hands trembling even more now. I cocked an eyebrow at him as the 'crowd' behind us started chanting, "Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake!"

Jake kissed the back of my hand, then tucked a wayward piece of hair behind my ear with a gently smiling face. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as he came closer. He pressed his lips against mine, his hands cradling my face in a warm embrace. He pulled back to look at me, his eyes swirling with emotion.

"Ina, I can't ask you to marry me quite yet because Jay said he would kill me. But will you stay with me forever?" he whispered, his lips tickling my ear. Warmth flooded my entire body, and suddenly I found myself wrapped around Jake, kissing and crying and saying "yes!" over and over. He hugged me tightly, shouting and jumping at the same time as everyone hustled forward to congratulate us.

"Oh, my only daughter is getting married!" my mother cried, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks.

"Not married _yet,"_ Jay warned.

"Give it a rest, you tight wad! You know they're perfect for each other!" Embry teased, punching Jay in the shoulder. May stared at me for a moment with a quivering lip, then flung her arms around my neck and sobbed dramatically.

"I wish Paul were so considerate!" she cried loudly. "By the way, that's actually just a big sticker on your car. You can remove it if you want. Which I don't see why you would since Paul's sexy face is on there. I mean Jake's. I mean…whatevah!" I laughed and squeezed her back, then we jumped up and down while squealing like a couple of school girls. Embry and Quil nearly crushed me in a sandwich bear hug, and Leah actually had tears in her eyes.

"You have no idea how happy I am for the both of you," she smiled, pulling me into a hug. "Be good to him, Ina. He'll be good to you."

"Aw, Leah," I sniffled, scrubbing my teary face with my sleeve. She laughed and took my hand, leading me back over to Jake.

"You better take care of her, pup. If not I'll skin you alive and hang your pelt outside of my house," she growled. Jake's eyes widened, and he looked at me unsurely as she beamed and headed back over to Sonnet.

Jake squeezed my hand and smiled down at me. I suddenly felt very shy standing next to him.

Jacob Black, my _fiancé_

Surrounded by my family, my friends, my future husband, I suddenly felt extremely blessed. All of their smiling faces, their loud laughter resonating through the crisp, cold air, flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. The way we all just _fit _together, humans, shape shifters, lovers, friends, sisters, brothers.

Jay had his arm around Mom, who couldn't stop smiling as tears poured town her face. Even my grumpy big brother was smiling, his furtive glances granting his approval to Jake and I. Sam had his arms wrapped around Emily, his forehead leaning against hers, off in their own little world again. Kim was shrieking as Jared chased her around the yard with his lips puckered up, but you could tell she was enjoying it by the way she giggled continuously. He finally caught her and swept her up, smacking a loud kiss against her cheek. Embry was standing behind Sonnet and Leah, who were now sitting on the porch fiddling with the guitar again. By the astounded look on Sonnet's face and the smirk on Leah's, I could tell she had won. She stole a glance at him, and for the first time in a long time I watched her smile with no pain or anger in her soft brown eyes. That is, until Quil decided to hang the mistletoe stick above her head. She pummeled him to the ground and had to be pulled off by all three of the younger wolves, who were having trouble holding themselves up from laughing so much. Paul and May were somewhere doing who knows what.

I giggled and shook my head, then looked up at Jake, who had been smiling down at me the entire time.

"I hope those are happy tears," he smiled, sweeping the pad of his thumb across my cheek. I nodded, closing my eyes as he cupped my cheek with both warm hands and leaned down. His lips pressed against mine, sweet and soft and tasting slightly of vanilla from the cookie he had snagged earlier in the evening.

"I love you, Ina Call," he whispered. I stayed silent, letting a small grin play on my lips. His face fell and he looked at me unsurely.

"Do I make you nervous, Jacob Black?" I teased, fluttering my eyelashes at him. His face broke out in to a rapturous grin and he kissed me again, pulling me up into his arms and swinging me around.

"DUDE WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" he shouted. Everyone cheered and started clapping, until suddenly Leah snarled. Emily glanced over at her, then back at me, her eyes bugging out of her head. Jay followed their gaze and his face immediately became like stone, a very red stone.

"What is that?" they growled in unison, pointing somewhere below my waist.

Jake and I froze, our eyes trailing down to look at the small sliver of exposed flesh and the raggedly torn fabric around my thigh. Jake quickly set me down and I pulled my dress down, my face burning under the stares of everyone around us.

"Um, I ran into a tree?" I squeaked. Leah took a step forward, glaring at Jake.

"Jacob Ethan Black!" she snarled.

"W-why is this my fault?" he stammered, glancing between the three of them.

"BECAUSE YOU WOULD BE THE ONE TO GET HER INTO IT, YOU HORN DOG!" Emily screamed, launching a magically appearing wooden spoon at Jake's head. He ducked and grabbed my hand, backing away slightly as they stepped forward.

"I take it back. You can't have her," Jay threatened quietly.

Jake flung me over his shoulder as Leah leapt toward us and took off.

"SHE'S MINE YOU CAN'T HAVE HER BACK NOW!" he cried gleefully. I held on for dear life as he zoomed around the yard, laughing so hard my ribs hurt for several days afterward.

"Use protection, honey!" I heard my mom's voice call from around the front of the house. We plunged into the woods and Jake flipped me over so he could hold me bridal style. I couldn't help but melt at the sight of his widely smiling face, his expression completely carefree and childlike as his laughter boomed through the trees.

Eventually he slowed down and we tumbled onto the ground, panting heavily.

"I think she's gone," Jake chuckled, turning his head toward me. I grinned and snuggled in close to his side so I could gaze into his beautiful chocolate brown eyes. I traced my finger along his smiling lips and leaned in for a kiss.

"Mmm," he moaned, smiling. "Care to start back where we were earlier?"

I chuckled and shook my head and he frowned.

"Aw, why not?" he pouted. I smiled silently, tracing my fingers over his forehead, down his nose, his cheeks, his lips. He kissed my fingertips and sighed, letting his hand rest on my hip. "You have your entire life to memorize my face. Can we get to the good part now?"

I smacking his chest playfully and he grinned, pulling my on top of him. I cupped his face with my hands and just stared at the man I would spend the rest of my life with.

Would we fight? Probably.

Get mad at each other? For sure.

Stop loving each other? Never.

I loved everything about him, from his soulful brown eyes to his sparkling smile to the way he clenched his jaw when he was irritated. His big hands, strong arms, wide shoulders, muscled back. The way he let me stick my freezing toes onto his legs at night to warm them up even though he hissed and cursed every time. The way he was looking at me now, open and vulnerable, loving.

He was my sun, my toaster, my protector.

"My Jake," I smiled.

"Damn straight," he grinned, pulling me down for another kiss.

::: FIN :::

Sneak Peek at the Epilogue!

"_Stop chewing on your lip, you're getting lipstick all over your teeth," Leah chuckled. My eyes widened and I quickly ran my tongue over my teeth, then bared them to her. "You're good," she smiled, patting my cheek. There was a knock at the door and Jay poked his head in. _

"_You ready sis? It's almost time," he grinned. My stomach jolted and I winced. The nervous dragons were being especially rowdy today. _

_I nodded and stood up, nearly tripping on the hem of my dress. I groaned, my heart pounding in my chest and making me short of breath._

"_I'm so nervous!" I yelled. There was another knock as May and Paul both poked their head in. Their jaws dropped and May immediately pulled out a tissue, dabbing at her eyes. _

"_Wow. WOW. Ina, you look great!" Paul grinned, pulling me into a hug. He kissed my forehead and stood back to look at me. "Jake is going to be floored. I mean it. You look beautiful, kid." _

"_Thank you, Paul. That means a lot," I sniffled, blinking away tears so I wouldn't ruin my makeup. May pouted, her green eyes huge as she squeezed me into a giant hug. _

"_I can't wait to see the beautiful babies you guys will make. Peace and blessings and all that," she beamed. Jay held his arm out and I took a deep breath, slipping my hand around his elbow. He smiled gently down at me, his hazel eyes so like my own shining with tears as he leaned down to kiss my cheek. _

"_I'm proud of you, sis," he whispered. I nodded, still blinking. Leah kissed my other cheek and waved before she went out to find Sonnet, who she would be walking down the aisle with. _

_I jumped as Paul smacked my butt and said, "Go get em' tiger!" He grinned and pulled May out behind him. I took another deep breath, hearing the music beginning to play outside. My heart thundered in my chest, threatening to break out of my ribs and run down the aisle by itself. I let Jay lead me to the back door of Sam and Emily's house, where we would then go outside to the large back yard where the wedding was being held. I glared at the solid block of wood that separated Jake and I, anxiously waiting for it to open. _

_Jared's grinning face finally peeped through a crack in the door. "You ready, sister?" he asked. I gulped and nodded. The door slowly swung open, and I tried not to flinch too horribly as I was blinded by sunlight, since I heard the numerous clicks of cameras going off. _

_The wedding march began to play and we stepped outside._


	24. Epilogue of Jakey Loving

**A/N: Heyo! So here's the epilogue, the final part of Melt! -sobs- Sorry for taking so long. I have no life for the next month due to finals coming up and butt tons of homework and such. T_T But I shirked it off all for you guys, so I'd better get some reviews! XD Ah, my leg is asleep. D:**

**Yalina09: Your review made me really happy! I find myself very fortunate to have kind readers like you. -sniffles- :') **

**Warning, slight bit of smut. Just in inkling. Lol. I knew you guys would hate me without it. So there you go. :)**

**Oh! And if you want pics of what Ina's dress and the bridesmaids dresses look like, just message me and let me know! I have them saved onto my computer so I'll have to attach them.  
**

**PLEASE review and let me know what you think! Love, as always, your humble authoress, wolfsbane92. :)**

**Ah! I forgot to mention! The song at the beginning is "Howl" by Florence and the Machine. It's awesome, go listen to it. And no, I did not write up those lovely vows and such. I googled them, and the blessing Grandpa Call gives is from the Apache tradition (so says Google), but I thought it was really beautiful and wanted to add it. Also, I've only been to two weddings, one that I can remember (I was five at the first one, haha), so do forgive if I've made some mistakes. I did some research, but it's not as good as the real experience. Please enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Epilogue**

_Jake and I were circling each other, eyes glued to the other's face as white lights flashed all through the darkness around us. _

_**If you could only see**_

_**The beast you've made of me**_

_**I held it in but now **_

_**It seems you've set it running free**_

_Music blared around us as we continued to stalk around each other, our surroundings a mirage of blue, black, and purple mist. Jake stepped in front of me and closed his eyes, and when he opened them again they were glowing bright yellow. He grabbed my waist and roughly pulled me to him, one corner of his mouth turning up into a smirk._

_**Screaming in the dark**_

_**I howl when we're apart**_

_**Drag my teeth across your chest **_

_**To taste your beating heart**_

_He stepped forward and I stepped back, our bodies still meshed tightly together. His grip slid down to my hips, fingers digging into my flesh as I swung my hips to the beat. We spun around the dance floor, Jake's eyes flickering down to my neck as he bowed me against him. He inhaled deeply, the hard bone of his fangs pressing against my soft skin. He suddenly pulled me back up and we were off again. My body was moving of its own accord, mirroring Jake's sensual movements. _

_**My fingers claw your skin**_

_**Try to tear my way in**_

_**You are the moon that breaks the night **_

_**For which I have to howl**_

_Jake flung me out and spun me back in, pulling my hips tightly against him as he swung his to the right and left. His breath was hot on my ear, his chest rumbling with a deep purr and vibrating against my back. He pushed me out again, his hand twisting and spinning me around and around. I started to get dizzy and the warmth of his hand disappeared as I fell to the ground, panting. I shielded my eyes against the spotlight and searched for him, but he wasn't there. Yellow eyes surrounded me, glowing against the darkness like stars in the night sky. _

"_Jake?" I called feebly._

_My stomach was in knots, my vision blurry. I was freezing, shivering violently as the eyes slowly turned crimson and stalked closer. _

"_Jake? Where are you? Jake? Jake!" I shouted. The creatures lunged at me, their claws wrapping around my limbs. I screamed._

"Ina! Wake up!" someone hissed, shaking me gently. My eyes popped open and I sucked in a breath, nearly head butting Leah as I jumped up. "Whoa! Hey kid, calm down! It's just me!" she cried, taking hold of my hand. I stared at her, wide eyes still remembering the red orbs that had surrounded me.

"Just a dream," I panted, sinking back down onto the bed. I groaned and palmed my forehead. Leah wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to her, petting my hair gently.

"You okay? What happened?" she asked, her voice soft. I quickly related the dream to her and she chuckled, shaking her head. "Boy, this separation thing has got you two all torn up, huh?" she laughed. I frowned at her.

"It's your fault," I snorted. She pulled back and grinned, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Yeah, well, you'll thank me for it later. Besides, this is the last week of freedom before you're a married woman! You'll get to spend the rest of your life with Jake," she smiled. I frowned at her some more and she chuckled.

"Come on, let's go back to sleep. You've got a big day ahead of you, and we have-" she glanced at the alarm clock, "—four hours before the madness begins." I groaned and flopped back onto the bed beside her. "Just think," she whispered, taking my hand, "tomorrow when you walk down that aisle, Jake is going to be right there waiting for you, monkey suit and all. He'll take your hand, look you in the eyes, say 'I do,' and you guys will be off on that fabulous honeymoon of yours. Two whole weeks of nothing but you and some Jakey loving." I glanced at her and we burst into a fit of giggles.

"Jeez Leah, when did you turn into such a sap?" I teased. She rolled her eyes.

"I've been hanging around that pretty boy too much," she grinned. I cocked an eyebrow at her, trying to hold back my smirk.

"You know you like him," I giggled, poking her in the arm. She narrowed her eyes at me. "What? Don't lie! Leah loves a pretty boy! Leah loves a—OW!" I yelped as she pinched my arm. I scowled at her and she grinned innocently.

"Oh yeah? Well this time tomorrow you'll be going 'Oh, Jake! Oh Jake, touch me there!'" she sighed in a high pitched voice.

"Ew, Leah!" I squealed, throwing a pillow at her.

"'Oh, Jake, you're so good! Jake!'"

"LEAH!" I shouted, hiding my burning face under the blanket. She cackled evilly and tugged the blanket off of my face. "You've been around the guys for way too long," I scowled. She grinned.

"Yeah, well, your man is one of those guys so I'd get used to it if I were you," she smirked. I rolled my eyes and she patted my head before turning her back to me.

"Get some sleep, future _Mrs. Black_," she teased. My heart jumped in my chest, and I knew she heard it because she started cackling again.

"You're evil. Remind me why I picked you as my maid of honor again?" I sighed.

"Because you love me and I'm awesome," she replied simply.

I sighed again and closed my eyes, smiling against the fabric of the pillow.

"Future Mrs. Black," I mouthed.

In what seemed like mere seconds later, the alarm clock shrieked loudly. Leah groaned and smacked it, effectively shutting the blasted contraption up. A few minutes later it buzzed again, and this time I groaned.

"I don't want to get up," I mumbled.

"Me either. Let's sleep in today," Leah replied.

"Agreed."

I cracked one eye open and looked at Leah.

"What's that noise?"

"Ionno."

Tmp tmp tmp tmp tmp BAM!

The door was flung open and we were suddenly showered in rose petals as May danced around the room, a basket slung over one arm.

"Wake uuuuup!" she sang, pouring the basket of petals on Leah's head. Leah grunted and swung her arm around in an attempt to hit her, but May danced away. Leah and I hissed as she pulled up the blinds and sunlight seared our retinas.

"The hell, May?" Leah growled, rubbing her eyes. The blonde jumped onto the foot of the bed and pointed down at me.

"In case you've forgotten, Miss Call, you are getting married today!" she shouted.

"May, shutup!" Seth groaned from down the hall.

"Love you too, Sethy Poo!" she called, grinning.

"Oh yeah," I mumbled, eyes widening as realization dawned on me.

"'Oh yeah,' like you really forgot," May snorted, grabbing my arm. "Come on! It's already almost nine thirty! I even let you guys sleep in a little, you bums!" she grunted, pulling me up into a sitting position. My head lolled back as she tugged on my arms, trying to pull me off the bed.

"Urg. Guess we should get up. We have a lot to do," Leah groaned, rolling off the bed. She crawled over to the window and roughly tried pulling the blinds close, but only succeeded in making the whole thing fall on her head. She grumbled curses as May cooed and rubbed her head.

"Hey Lee, Sonnet will be there to escort you down the aisle. He'll be wearing a tux, and he even cut his hair. He said he didn't want to look like a sissy pretty boy standing next to a hard ass like you," she chuckled.

"Did he really?" Leah questioned curiously. May grinned.

"Okay, he only cut it because he knew you'd make fun of him if he pulled it back into a ponytail," she admitted.

"Sissy," Leah grunted, though a small smile tugged up the corner of her lips. May and I both rolled our eyes, then we got up to start getting ready. I jumped in the shower and let May braid my hair into pigtails as Leah was bathing, then got dressed in sweats and headed out for some last minute shopping.

"Oh, these are cute," I commented, holding up a pair of silver heels. I glanced over at May, who was snickering, and dropped them on the floor. "No. Just…no."

"Why not?" she whined, holding the white lace corset up to me. "You need something to hold your girls up! You want them to be giving a pleasant hello, not hiding under your dress."

"Why should they say hello? Do they not already say hello just by being there?" I squeaked, swatting her away.

"No. They're just like 'yo, sup.' You want them to be like, 'Hey stud, going my way?'" May teased in a Southern accent, batting her eyelashes at me. I rolled my eyes, then eyed the corset.

"Oh, alright," I sighed. May pumped her fist in the air, then scurried over to find Leah. I chuckled and shook my head, jumping when I heard Jake's ringtone going off. I raced to find Leah, as she had stolen my phone and refused to give it back until after the wedding. When I found her, she was smirking.

"Huh. Right…No Jake, you can't talk to her…I know you're in pain, but you only have to wait a few more hours…don't talk to me like that, young man! Respect your elders!" she growled. May snatched the phone from her and grinned at my pouting face.

"Jake, just you wait until you see what she's going to be wearing under her dress…heck yeah it's good!...wipe your mouth, puppy, I hear your drool slapping against the floor…alright, I'll tell her. Jake says he loves you and misses you so much, Ina," she smiled, blowing kisses at me.

"I love you too, Jake! Only a few more hours! And then we can get our revenge! I love you!" I shouted. Several ladies turned to look at me.

"She's getting married today," Leah smirked. They all nodded and smiled knowingly. May whispered some other things into the phone before snapping it shut and handing it back to Leah.

"Now, let's see about something for you to wear tonight," May teased, the mischievous glint in her eye turning to pure evil. I scowled at her.

"Messing with you never gets old," Leah joked, pushing me back toward the lingerie. I groaned and pretended to cry as they held up various items.

"Sunday morning, rain is falling!" May sang, swinging her hips as she curled my hair. I clasped and unclasped my hands nervously in my lap, exhaling loudly. May ignored it and continued singing, using a hair brush for a microphone. Emily shook her head and smiled, leaning in to swipe a brush across my eyelids.

"You'll be fine, I promise," she smiled. I gulped and nodded as May belted out the "ah yeah yeah!" part of the Maroon 5 song. My mother was beaming and taking pictures right and left.

"Mom, you're not going to have any room in your camera left for the actual wedding!" I teased. She grinned and snapped another picture in response.

"It's not every day my baby girl gets married. To a hunk!" she chortled.

"Amen sifta guhl!" May agreed through a mouthful of bobby pins. She soon had my hair arranged in a delicate cascade down my shoulder, the top half of it pulled back loosely with several flowery pins.

"Alright, I'm done. What about you, Emily?" she asked. Emily finished sweeping a little gloss across my lips before sitting back and smiling.

"Done here," she said. My mother snapped several more pictures. Leah smiled and brought the bag that was holding my dress over, hanging it on top of the door.

"Ready for your dress?" she asked, unzipping it.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I sighed nervously.

"Wait! We almost forgot the secret weapon!" May shouted, running over to her bag. She pulled out the box that contained the corset, aka "secret weapon," and grinned. I sighed again.

"Yeah, go ahead and sigh. It's the last deep breath you'll be taking for a while," she chuckled. I tugged my shirt off and hugged my arms around my chest self consciously.

"Don't be shy, Ina. I've already seen more than I've ever wanted to see through Jake's thoughts," Leah smirked. My face burned bright red and she took the opportunity to uncross my arms so May could slip the corset around me.

"Oh? Have you guys done it already?" May asked curiously. I gasped as she yanked the strings at my back, contracting my ribcage several centimeters. I heard the door shut as Emily and my mother slipped out.

"No, but they've gotten close," Leah replied for me. I scowled at her, and at Jake, who wasn't there, for sharing our private time with everyone.

"I could ask the same of you, May," I grunted, trying to take in a small breath.

"Of course not, Paul is the perfect gentleman," she smiled. Leah snorted.

"That's not what he says," she grinned. "What about that time in his truck by the cliffs? Or on the beach? Hm?"

"As I recall, there was no penetration, Your Nosiness," May snorted. I winced as she tugged the strings especially hard, then tied them and stepped back.

"Hoo doggy, those babies are ready to pop out and see the world!" she cried satisfactorily. I looked down and was met by a faceful of flesh.

"Don't you think…it's a little much?" I grunted. May shook her head, but Leah rolled her eyes.

"Here, I'll help you out," she said, loosening the strings a little. I breathed out a slightly larger sigh of relief and gave her a grateful look. May handed me the lacy garter we had brought earlier that day and I rolled my eyes, slipping it up my leg with some difficulty.

"I'm afraid of bending over, I think my boobs are going to fall out!" I chuckled.

May grinned and unzipped the bag with my dress inside. The sunlight made the jewels embroidered on the outside sparkle, and I felt a small part of me break inside. I couldn't stop smiling as warm tears poured down my face.

"Aw hell, she's crying. May get the tissues!" Leah ordered, gently dabbing at my face with her fingers. May quickly scurried to grab some tissue and handed it to Leah, who expertly wiped the streaks of mascara off of my face. I sniffled and blinked several times, trying to hold back the tears.

"Guys, I'm getting married!" I cried, blinking more as the tears started falling once more.

"Yes, honey, we've already established this," May grinned. Leah fixed my makeup and she brought the dress over. They helped pull it over my head and tugged it down so that it rested perfectly against my frame, then buttoned up the back.

"Ohhh you look so good!" May beamed, clasping her hands together. "Guh, I need to go get dressed. Think you can handle her, Lee?"

Leah snorted and waved her away, and May bounced out the door. Leah picked up a medium sized blue box and opened it, taking out the sparkling chandelier earrings inside. I put them on and she smiled gently.

"You look beautiful," she said. I thanked her and stood in front of the full length mirror as she went to go change.

The woman staring back at me was far from the girl I had been a year ago. That girl knew nothing about what it meant to live. She passed every day in the same routine, not giving a second thought to anything out of the ordinary. Then a certain wolf boy came along, and her world was turned upside down. Now I knew that every step, every movement, every breath was a blessing because it meant that I would get to see my friends, family, my sweet Jacob Black for one more moment. And that meant everything.

The door creaked open and my mother poked her head in, her face grinning widely as she bustled over beside me.

"Oh Ina," she sighed, wrapping an arm around my waist. She leaned her head on my shoulder, smiling at my reflection. I gave her a squeeze, letting my arms linger around her as I rested my head against hers.

"I remember when you were five years old, sitting on the porch eating popsicles with Paul and Embry and catching fireflies," she smiled. "Now you're all grown up. A woman." Her voice cracked at the end and I held her as she cried.

"I still like popsicles," I teased, handing her a tissue. "And I'm still your little girl." She gave me a watery smile and blew her nose. There was another tap at the door as Leah returned, looking utterly stunning in her dark green, one shoulder dress. Her short, wavy hair was swept to one side, a butterfly pin sparkling against her black locks.

"Wow, Leah!" I whispered in awe. She bowed and smirked, then came to give my mom a hug.

"She looks great, doesn't she?" she asked, nodding her head in my direction. My mom beamed and sniffled some more.

"Well, I'm going to head out. Going to take my seat on the front row," she chuckled, winking at me. I hugged her again and waved as she walked out the door.

"Now what?" I asked, twiddling my thumbs.

"We wait," Leah grinned. I sighed and perched on the side of a stool, afraid of ruining my dress. The room was quiet except for Leah's humming as she helped me into my strappy heels. She finished and stood up, then adjusted the top of my dress.

"Boobs are lookin' good," she commented wryly. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her.

"The things you guys get me to do," I sighed. She grinned.

"Hey, if it weren't for me, May would have packed your suitcase full of all kinds of naughty things," she chided. I winced.

"Yeah, true."

The room was silent once more. I could hear my heart thumping loudly inside my chest, and my stomach was in knots. It felt like my first date with Jake all over again.

"Stop chewing on your lip, you're getting lipstick all over your teeth," Leah chuckled. My eyes widened and I quickly ran my tongue over my teeth, then bared them to her. "You're good," she smiled, patting my cheek. There was a knock at the door and Jay poked his head in.

"You ready sis? It's almost time," he grinned. My stomach jolted and I winced. The nervous dragons were being especially rowdy today.

I nodded and stood up, nearly tripping on the hem of my dress. I groaned, my heart pounding in my chest and making me short of breath.

"I'm so nervous!" I yelled. There was another knock as May and Paul both poked their head in. Their jaws dropped and May immediately pulled out a tissue, dabbing at her eyes.

"Wow. WOW. Ina, you look great!" Paul grinned, pulling me into a hug. He kissed my forehead and stood back to look at me. "Jake is going to be floored. I mean it. You look beautiful, kid."

"Thank you, Paul. That means a lot," I sniffled, blinking away tears so I wouldn't ruin my makeup again. May pouted, her green eyes huge as she squeezed me into a giant hug. She was wearing the same ensemble as Leah, and it looked beautiful against both of their contrasting skin tones. May had pinned part of her hair back too, but gave it a little twist with a plastic pink dog barrette in perfect May style.

"I can't wait to see the beautiful babies you guys will make. Peace and blessings and all that," she beamed. Jay held his arm out and I took a deep breath, slipping my hand around his elbow. He smiled gently down at me, his hazel eyes so like my own shining with tears as he leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"I'm proud of you, sis," he whispered. I nodded, still blinking. Leah kissed my other cheek and waved before she went out to find Sonnet, who she would be walking down the aisle with.

I jumped as Paul smacked my butt and said, "Go get em' tiger!" He grinned and pulled May out behind him. I took another deep breath, hearing the music beginning to play outside. My heart thundered in my chest, threatening to break out of my ribs and run down the aisle by itself. I let Jay lead me to the back door of Sam and Emily's house, where we would then go outside to the large back yard where the wedding was being held. I glared at the solid block of wood that separated Jake and I, anxiously waiting for it to open.

"Ow. You're cutting off my circulation," Jay chuckled.

"Oh, sorry," I grunted, releasing his now slightly wrinkled sleeve. He patted my hand and looked back at the door.

Jared's grinning face finally peeped through a crack in the door. "You ready, sister?" he asked. I gulped and nodded. The door slowly swung open, and I tried not to flinch too horribly as I was blinded by sunlight, since I heard the numerous clicks of cameras going off.

The wedding march began to play and we stepped outside.

The sun was setting over the horizon, casting an orange glow around Jake, Sonnet, Embry, Paul, Leah, and May. Spud was sitting in front of May, her golden fur gleaming in the sunlight. The little green barrel around her neck held the rings. I smiled and looked back up, my eyes catching Jake's chocolate brown orbs. He grinned, beaming at me as Jay and I made our way up the aisle, and I tripped. The crowd gasped and I coughed, righting myself quickly as my eyes darted back and forth. Paul snorted but quickly turned it into a cough with a look from Emily. I took a deep breath and concentrated on not falling over until we finally made it to the altar.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?" Grandpa Call asked, smiling down at me.

"Her mother and I do," Jay said firmly. Grandpa nodded and Jay gave me a kiss on the cheek before handing me off to Jake. The warmth of his skin surrounded me and the world melted. It was only Jake and I standing there, our eyes locked together. Grandpa's voice slowly permeated the fog of my brain, but I kept my eyes on Jake.

"Repeat after me," Grandpa ordered Jake.

"I, Jacob Ethan Black, take you, Ina Alexa Call, to be my beloved wife, to have and to hold you, to honor you, to treasure you, to be at your side in sorrow and in joy, in the good times, and in the bad, and to love and cherish you always. I promise you this from my heart, for all the days of my life," Jake said, squeezing my hands. I felt warm tears slipping down my face as I beamed at him. He smiled and gently wiped them away.

I repeated the same words to Jake, my heart swelling in my chest with each word until I thought it was going to burst. We exchanged rings and waited patiently as Grandpa rambled some other words until finally he said, "Jacob, you may kiss your bride."

Jake smiled his most beautiful, heartwarming smile and took my face between his hands, leaning down slowly. I couldn't help but giggle along with him until he pressed his warm lips against mine and took my breath away. His lips were so warm, and I could feel all the love and longing he was pouring out into that very kiss. Reluctantly, he pulled away and grinned at me once more, his eyes shining. The sun lit up his gorgeous orbs, fracturing the deep brown with emerald and amber and making his russet skin glow radiantly. He leaned down and kissed me again, smiling against my lips. I vaguely recall multiple whistles and howls, mainly from the wolf pack, but I distinctly heard Jay and Sonnet howling along with them.

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth," Grandpa recited. "I now announce you man and wife."

Everyone cheered as Jake picked me up and swung me around. We were attacked my vicious bear hugs from all angles, and one vuvuzela that May had snuck under her dress. Jake held my hand tightly as we ran back down the aisle and into Sam and Emily's house before they could bombard us with rice. We made it inside and collapsed onto the couch, both laughing wildly. I sighed and leaned my head against Jake's warm chest, chuckling every now and then.

"So, how are you my dear husband?" I grinned, looking at Jake. He smiled and pulled me down for a searing kiss. His tongue slid seductively along my lips and he pulled back as the door burst open.

"Ack! You guys have to wait until tonight to get it on! It's party time now!" May cried, blowing her vuvuzela again. Jake winked at me, once corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. Paul pulled me up off of Jake and threw me over his shoulder, racing outside as Jake chased him around the yard. Emily threw a spoon like a ninja star and hit him in the head, effectively ending his little game of cat and mouse.

The rest of the night was spent in mad dancing and pigging out on Emily's delicious food.

Well, everyone else was pigging out.

I could barely breathe, thanks to May.

I scowled at her as she stuffed a giant piece of cake in her mouth and she grinned.

"What's wrong? Not hungry?" Jake asked, his face concerned. He was sitting in the chair beside me, one arm around my shoulders.

"No, May made me wear this stupid corset and I can barely breathe, much less eat," I complained, pouting. I caught his eyes flashing down to my chest and he grinned.

"I'll get us some dinner later, okay?"

I nodded, sighing.

Soon after dinner, May stood up and clapped, pulling a chair into the center of the yard.

"Oh, Ina dearest, why don't you have a seat?" she said, grinning evilly.

"Oh boy," I grunted, sitting down. The crowd gathered around us as May blew her vuvuzela to get everyone quiet.

"Alrighty, fellas! Gather round, gather round!" she called. "Paul you better catch this," she growled under her breath. Paul grinned.

My face reddened as Jake's heated hands skimmed up my leg, bringing the folds of my dress along with them. I laughed as he kissed his way up my shin, his dark eyes glued to my face, then shrieked as he licked his way up my thigh.

"BAH! JAKE!" I giggled, swatting at him playfully.

"Get it, bad boy! Woo hoo!" Quil shouted.

"Look at those legs, baby! Ow ow owww!" Leah howled. The rest of the pack joined in with her, then all started laughing and punching each other. I shot them a look, then yelped as Jake nibbled my skin.

"Eyes on me," he ordered, his voice deep. I shivered, heat coursing through my body and the crowd forgotten. He grinned, nibbling delicately at the garter around my thigh. His searing hands skated up my thigh, one coming to rest at the junction between my hip and leg. He groaned and closed his eyes, smiling as he slowly pulled the bit off lace off of my leg with his teeth. He looked up at me and his eyes flashed yellow before turning back to their normal color.

The unmarried guys all crowded up behind him, pushing each other playfully. Jake winked at me before chucking the garter behind him. There was a flurry of motion as everyone raced to catch it. Out of the corner of my eyes, a blonde blur streaked through the crowd and leapt off of Quil's bent back.

"SPUD!" everyone groaned, laughing as the blonde pup brought her prize to Paul, her tail wagging. Paul grinned and patted her on the head, throwing a glance at May.

After that fiasco, all of the women crowded up behind me and waited for me to through the bouquet. I teased them for a few moments by pretending to throw it, and when I did everyone gasped. I turned to see Leah looking dumbfounded with the bouquet in her hands. The party became silent except for the chirping of crickets. Leah glanced unsurely at me, then let her eyes flicker to Sonnet, then back to me. I nodded, smiling at her.

"Heck yeah!" Sonnet whooped, breaking the silence. Everyone laughed and the guys clapped him on the back, nearly making him fall over. Leah winked at me before putting her pretend angry face on.

As it neared midnight, everyone wished us well as we packed into Jake's car and headed off to our honeymoon. We would be spending a few weeks in a log cabin a little northeast of La Push, near the mountains. Jake cranked up the heat as I rubbed my arms against the autumn chill. He held out his arm and grinned as I snuggled in close to him. I sighed and breathed in his sweet, woodsy scent, closing my eyes.

"Ina honey? We're here," Jake whispered in my ear a little while later. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then looked around. Jake chuckled and took my hand as he led me to the beautiful, two-story cabin in front of us. He unlocked the door and picked me up, then carried me over the threshold. I barely got a glimpse of the living room as Jake flew up the stairs and kicked open another door.

_Bedroom_, I thought, gulping. He grinned and set me down on the bed, leaning in to press his lips against my forehead. The dragons were rampaging around in my stomach as he loosened his tie and shrugged his jacket and vest off. He rolled the sleeves of his white Oxford up and held a hand out to me.

"My dear?" he smiled. I nodded and took his hand, eyes flickering nervously between the floor and his face as he pulled me in close. He pulled my arms around his neck and hummed softly as he unbuttoned the back of my dress. "My, my, what do we have here?" he asked, sliding his hands up my back. I shivered and closed my eyes as he pressed his lips against my shoulder and gently pulled the top half of my dress down. He stood back and whistled, a slight smirk showing his satisfaction.

"They're not really that big," I joked, rubbing my neck nervously. He chuckled and slid his arms around me again. "Uh, wow, that wasn't really a long car ride like I thought it would be," I rambled. He grinned.

"That's because this is our house," he said slyly. My eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"W…what?" I asked stupidly.

"This is our house, baby. The boys helped me build it. Do you like it?" he asked, biting his lip.

I was still in shock.

"I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled, kissing my knuckles. He cocked his head to the side, looking like a sweet puppy as he looked at me.

"Wow," I breathed finally. He grinned and pulled me into a warm hug, his lips grazing my shoulder. His breath whooshed out onto my skin as he sighed.

"Are you happy here? With me?" he asked.

"Of course I am!" I said without hesitation. I gave him a big squeeze for reassurance and he chuckled. "Why do you ask?"

"I just want to make sure. I kind of feel like I forced you into it," he mumbled. I pulled back and cupped his face with my hands.

"You didn't force me into anything. Well, anything I didn't want to do already," I said. He grinned. "I love you, Jake. I always will," I whispered softly. He smiled and pulled me into another hug, rocking back and forth.

"I love you too."

It was quiet for a few moments before he pulled back and sighed.

"I guess I'll go grab our suitcases. Make yourself comfortable," he smirked, waving as he walked out of the door. Oh boy.

I fumbled with my dress, managing to pull it over my head by myself as my heart pounded rapidly in my chest. I tugged at the strings on my back until they finally came loose, then pulled on them until I got the blasted corset off. I inhaled deeply for the first time in hours, and man did it feel good. I pulled my shoes off and enjoyed breathing for a few more moments, until I heard Jake coming up the stairs. I panicked, looking around for an escape. A door stood off to the side, so I rushed over to open it, then quickly shut it behind me. I felt around for a light switch, and when I turned it on I realized I was in a bathroom. A sink and mirror sat directly in front of me, a bath tub to my left. I jumped into the tub and pulled the curtain closed.

_A clear curtain? _I thought. _Really guys? _

I jumped as Jake's footsteps thudded in the room and quickly turned the shower on, yelping as I was scalded by hot water.

"Ina? Are you okay?" Jake's voice called.

"Y-Yeah! J-just taking a shower! Whew I got sweaty when we were dancing!" I lied, hugging my arms around my chest. There was no shampoo or soap in the tub yet, so I just stood there dumbly for a while and stared at the bottom of the tub. My heart pounded in my chest, and it was even harder to breathe with all the steam.

_You stupid! He's out there waiting for you! _One side of me said.

_Exactly! He's out there waiting to eat me! _The other cried pathetically.

"What am I saying? He's not going to eat me," I sighed. I turned the knobs off and pulled the curtain open.

_Where did those shiny black shoes come from? _I asked myself. I gasped in realization as my eyes floated up to see Jake's shocked face standing directly in front of me.

"Uh, I , um, I just, um!" I rambled, trying to cover myself.

Jake quickly walked over to me and pushed my arms away, wrapping his tight around me as he pulled me out of the tub and pressed me against him, his lips crashing hungrily against my own.

"J-J-Jake I'm wet!" I gasped, struggling to get away.

"I know," he grinned, licking the water off of my neck. I shivered, fisting his shirt in my hands.

"Y-you're going to ruin your n-nice clothes," I stammered, brain beginning to fog up.

"Well you'll have to take them off for me," he growled in my ear.

I melted right then and there.

Jake picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me back into the bedroom. I fell back onto the bed and he kicked his shoes off, climbing on top of me as he kissed me again. I fumbled with the buttons on his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders, groaning as his bare chest pressed against my skin. He flipped us over and I straddled his hips, kissing him fervently. I moved down to his neck and nibbled gently, then bit him hard. He made the most delicious sound as his hips bucked.

He flipped us back over and pinned my hands above my head, his eyes glowing as he panted quietly.

"No," he said. "We should do this slowly."

"I have no objection to that," I smiled.

He grinned, leaning down to kiss me gently. His lips pressed softly at first, then slowly built in pressure and urgency, my favorite slow burning kiss. His hands skimmed down my arms, around my neck, and tentively down my chest, coming to rest above my rapidly beating heart.

"Are you afraid?" he asked, his eyes concerned.

"Just a little nervous," I admitted, smiling at him. He kissed me gently, his yellow eyes dimming slightly.

"Ah, so you admit it finally," he chuckled. I rolled my eyes. His face grew serious as he said, "We don't have to do this tonight, you know. We can wait until you—"

I shushed him with a finger to his lips, then wrapped my arms around his neck as I pulled him back down to me. I wrapped my legs around him and pushed my hips up toward him. He hissed and ground back against me, making both of us groan. I kissed him again, then moved my lips to his ear.

"Take me," I whispered.

I scrunched my face up as sunlight hit my eyelids, making my inner world glow orange. My eyelashes fluttered open and Jake mumbled in his sleep, wrapping his arms tighter around me. I smiled, pressing a gentle kiss against his chest.

The sunlight fused into his skin, making him glow angelically, his messy hair and state of dress the only signs that he wasn't quite an angel. The corners of his lips were turned up slightly.

_Are you having a good dream?_ I asked him silently.

He sighed and mumbled something else. I chuckled and slowly pulled myself away from him so that I wouldn't wake him, then grabbed his wrinkled Oxford and pulled it around me. I headed downstairs, feet padding quietly against the wooden floor as I explored the living room and kitchen areas. I noticed a coffee maker sitting in once corner and turned it on, then went to find all of the things to make coffee. I had never made it before, but I had seen Mom and Jay do it enough to know what was going on. After getting the coffee going, I wrapped my arms around myself and looked out the window, in awe of the beautiful sight before me. The woods stretched on and on behind the house, and snowcapped mountains could be seen in the distance. Birds were singing, squirrels were squirreling, I was married to the most wonderful man ever, and hey, life is good!

I jumped as a pair of warm arms wrapped around me from behind, a chin resting against my shoulder. He sniffed.

"That coffee?" Jake's rumbling voice asked.

I nodded.

"You don't like coffee."

"No, but you do."

"Oh. Aw for me?" he grinned, turning me to face him. He kissed my lips, resting his forehead against mine. "I knew there was a reason I married you," he teased.

"Jake!" I laughed, pushing him playfully. He chuckled and pulled me closer against him.

"Mmm. Good morning sweetheart," he mumbled sleepily. I chuckled and kissed his cheek.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I replied, smiling.

Yeah.

Life is definitely good.


End file.
